snow day

We've got quite the storm coming.  Actually, it's already started and we've got maybe three inches of snow piling up, expecting to get three feet in the next day or so.  Even though it sometimes sucks, like when you have to find a place off the roads to park your car during the parking ban, or having the student leadership summit cancelled, or dealing with other drivers tearing all around like maniacs, it is still SO beautiful and peaceful when it snows!

I took Oboe to the park across the street and scanned around for other signs of life.  I didn't see anyone else, not even any recent foot prints so I let him off the leash and he tore all around like the happiest little kid you've ever seen.  He was in absolute heaven. If there is one thing that boy loves more than the ocean it is snow for sure. For the rest of this unexpected day off I plan to read and learn more about endocrinology, sip on coffee and watch the snow from the window.  Glorious.

ohhh sandy

Basically nothing happened where we live except for some vicious winds and rain.  My school got a little jumpy and cancelled classes Monday afternoon and all of Tuesday.  Some one must have felt a little sheepish when the sun came out early Tuesday morning and there wasn't much in the way of hurricane-type destruction, but THIS someone gloriously didn't have to go to school (and instead spent from 9 to 5 studying dermatology...but that's beside the point, at least I could wear my PJ's!). 

We had a hurricane (cyclone) party last night amidst the roaring winds.  Pretty much the only place we would have ventured out to would have had to have been within a four black radius, and as luck would have it Joe was fixing up some oyster mushroom risotto!  We tromped up the hill with hot toddy makings and purple carrots for roasting.  It was a nice little shin dig, topped off with a gluten free sour cream apple pie my brother made from my grandmother's recipe...divine!  I should have snapped a picture but I was in too much of a food coma. 

I've got some pictures to share from our girl's weekend, but I've got to run right now so here is a teaser from our hike on the first day of hunting season:

And a bonus one of Oboe cause he's a cutie and I take way too many pictures of him...

all grown up

 Oliver turned one last week!  If you are in the same boat as me, you probably can't believe he is already that old!  To celebrate I made him a birthday hat that he maaaybe hated a little.  Then I took the pups on a super long trompy walk where we met a pup named Mogely who turned out to be our neighbor and a big fan of leading Oliver around the reservoir.  All in all, it was a pretty great day. 

Doesn't he look happy to be 1?!

things have been good

I've got an upcoming family wedding (last one this year I promise!) and my best friend Annie is coming to visit soon!!  I am so very excited to skip home for a quick weekend to see my family for another beautiful celebration, with dancing of course, and to show Annie my life in Denver.  She hasn't even met Oliver yet, and I can't wait to see what she thinks of my wild child.  If only she could bring her sweet pup as a carry on, they would have so much fun together... or just terrorize each other, but either way it would be amusing!  In any case, this picture is mostly for my parents, so they can see I'm doing well even though the semester has been a tough one so far.  I'm doing my best to keep on smiling!
 

 

Yin, Oliver and I just took a long walk and watched the sunset to end my weekend before heading back to work tomorrow.

evolution of a car cuddle

We spent the 4th in Utah visiting JP's family, and with my little haitian stomach bug in tow I didn't have the energy to take pictures.  Shocking, I know. We left the morning after I worked a night shift, and so I slept most of the morning in the front seat with my face mask and ear plugs in.  Obie likes to cuddle, and he slowly worked his way up to the front seat while I was snoozing:

 

don't think I am forgetting

all the things I have been doing, and all the pictures I have been taking of those things that I have been doing! I am going for round two of the GRE on the 19th, in hopes that I can boost my score for the last time before they change the whole darn thing! Considering I will be free of sickness that causes me to cough and threaten to be kicked out of the place, and I will have banished my gutteral companion that hopped a ride home from Haiti with me, I think I will be in top form this time around. Woot. That said, I have to go get ready for night shift, and night studying, but here are some pictures of out little bayou a few blocks from our house where Oliver is learning to love the water...

I won't bore you with details on how proud I am of my little man and how big he is getting!

in which we will fell in love with a little monster

Yep, he's a tricky one. Pretending to be all sweet and lovey and potty trained....not so much folks, not so much. When we brought Oliver home he was seriously cuddly and sweet and tuckered out. From the first time I brought him outside to do his business he knew exactly what was expected of him, squatting down like a pro and then trotting back inside to get his treat. Hooray day one he is potty trained! Hooray it wasn't a fluke, he's potty trained still on days two and three! What a smart puppy, eh? Well, as it turns out he is smarter than I had originally thought. Now when we take him out he cocks his head and stares uncomprehendingly at me while I repeat "GO POTTY" over and over. After letting me get really annoyed he will scamper past me, under the railing, under the scooter, around the chairs, to the corner, along the fence passing under every single bush or tree until he is in the farthest corner possible from where I wanted him to go and squats down between the privacy of two trees. Does he ever want to scamper back from the farthest corner at three in the morning? Of course not! By the time he has followed his specific route he is freezing and hops around trying to balance on three legs to get one of them away from the snow until he gets really sad and just sits up on his hind legs with his nose covered in snow and makes his eyes all big and wimper-y until I go get him and bring him back inside. Which is not to say that he only goes outside and here I am complaining about walking across the yard...he has in fact become sneaky pup who when I won't let him run his little track race outback will, after staring at me uncomprehendingly, come back inside with me and promptly pee on the rug. What a sweetheart, eh? His other newest trick is to escape from the backyard because he is small enough to just walk through the fence with minimal squirming. Yesterday I was running with him in the backyard and when I looked back he was in the neighbors yard looking confused as to how he got there! That said, we love him a lot. For how much he frustrates us, he definitely makes up for it in a million other ways. I figure he will only be little for a very short while, so I have to appreciate the things I love about him when he's small and accept the puppy behaviors that he has too. Who's idea was it again to adopt a puppy during one of my hardest semesters? Pictures for your enjoyment:

I think Oliver's love for Yin (read terrorizing her constantly) is much greater than her love for Oliver.. but to her credit she is pretty patient with the little bugger. Do you know how he gets down from the couch? Lately he has been standing on the edge psyching himself up and when Yin walks by he launches himself onto her and then slides off her back to the ground. It's seriously hilarious...

Trying to get in some sleep before going to work.

Doesn't he look like he wouldn't cause a bit of trouble?

His favorite part of the snow? Licking it..

Annnnnd, one of my biggest dog dreams will come true I think because he seems to have an affinity for playing fetch already! Monster or not, I think we'll keep him.

meet Oliver!

Puppy time! After months of wanting to adopt a dog I finally have, and I am so pleased with my little Oliver! I thought I wanted a boxer. I looked at pictures of boxers, read all about them, and even went to see them at the shelter. I thought I wanted a girl too. So what do I end up with? A rowdy little boy who they think is a shephard/heeler mix (although I think they throw "heeler" into just about every dog description around here for some reason.) Everything just kind of lined up, and after working the night shift I stayed up and had breakfast with JP and dragged him to the pet store where they were having puppy adoptions from A Puppy's Voice shelter. We were the second ones in the store, and we both fixed our eyes on Oliver. I picked him up and he nuzzled his little head under my chin and I was of course instantly sold. One of my initial worries about finding a dog was how I would know which one was my one, but it was obvious right from the start. I mean, look at him! How could I resist?!


Now this might come as no surprise to some of you, but I am totally going to be one of those dog owners. When I have kids it will probably be even worse...just warning you! Remember all those kids I have nannied? You probably do, in fact you probably remember little stories that I told you about them that have really nothing to do with your own life because I LOVED to brag about them. My poor boyfriend got to hear about every little squeak, cry and laugh that A. uttered last fall whether he wanted to know about them or not. This is why I know I will be one of those dog owners who talk about their puppy like it hung the moon. I dote. I dote a lot. Remember how I doted on Pigeon? I think this will be even worse. So there is your warning. I am sure I will post too many pictures of Oliver, and write on here to tell you about some inane little thing he did that I thought was so charming but is really just normal puppy behavior, so bear with me! Can you really blame me though? He really is the cutest, smartest little pup that was ever born ever. Lucky me!