Kisses

The best kisses are puppy kisses!

Mr. Gordie is now almost 11 weeks old and has nearly doubled in size since we brought him home!  He has picked up on the whole potty training deal and 9 times out of 10 will sit by the door or scratch at it.  Smart little fella!

Pool Party!

Yesterday was a gorgeous day, sunny and in the 90's.  What better way to spend the day than outside...in a pool.  Since Joe is still gone Jen, Gina and I decided to have a girls day.  Although we all have real pools at our places, we decided it sounded like more fun to get a kiddie pool, some beach chairs, beers and set up in Joe's yard.
Here's our pool:

Our mission to catch a tan was a success.  We all decided that although it looked rather silly to cars/people passing by, we all had fun and will be doing this often :)  Gordie even enjoyed the afternoon outside and a few swims in the pool.  Today I have one TIRED puppy.  And that my friends, makes me one happy girl!!

Sunsets

Tonight Joe's mother invited me out to dinner.  With Joe and his dad gone fishing, I thought this was a very sweet gesture on his mom's behalf.  I will admit that I was a little nervous as I've only been around Joe's parents while he's been with.  Within about two minutes of dinner I realized that I was nervous for no reason.

We headed out to Sunsets in Wayzata on Lake Minnetonka.  It's one of my favorite restaurants in the summer time.  Although it was raining and we couldn't sit on the patio, it's still a great place to go to look out at the lake.

The food, as always there was great and his mom is great!  I walked away being very thankful for her making the effort to include me in her plans and to get to know me.  It's nice to know I truly enjoy being around his family and feel comfortable around them even without him around.

Vacation!

It's vacation time.  Joe is in Canada with his dad fishing so it's just Gordie and I!

Day one and I've officially already managed to get a sunburn.  Lovely.  You won't hear me say this often, if ever, but I'm glad tomorrow is calling for rain!  I'm looking forward to staying out of the sun for a day and just having a lazy day with Gordie.  

Last night was also the first night since having Gordie that Joe and I both weren't with him.  It will be interesting to see if he starts noticing that Joe's gone.  I know I am already looking forward to him coming back home because the waking up both times in the middle of the night is a pain.  It's much better when the wake-ups are shared :)

Happy Memorial Weekend!!

Just Because...

One thing I've learned about Joe... he's not like a good portion of the male population.  He actually understands  that little gestures go a long way.  He pays attention to smalls details and has always been very thoughtful with me.

Tonight, he came home with these beautiful tulips...just because :)

He has always told me that he prefers to not get flowers on days that it's expected (birthdays, Valentines, etc.) but on days when it's least expected.  He calls them "just because" flowers.  I will gladly take flowers any day of the week no matter what the occasion.  I will admit, however, that the "just because" flowers are the best.  They let me know that he was thinking about me and wanted to do something nice.  Who wouldn't feel special?!

Flowers Are Blooming!

The best part of spring...when flowers start to bloom! Over the last day or two Joe's peonies around his house have started to bloom and they are beautiful. I am a sucker for fresh flowers. Especially bright colored ones.


Gordie on the other hand is not a fan. He wasn't sure what to think of the flowers when they'd bend down and tickle him as he passed by the peonies bush.

My Snuggle Monster!

Gordie has become quite the little snuggle monster.  I will admit, this is my favorite quality in dogs.  I love, love, love when dogs want to snuggle.  I grew up with Buddi, a dog that wouldn't sleep unless he was next to someone.  Then, Timber and Scout were both extra cuddly and now there is Gordie.  Gordie just may take the cake out of all of them.  He wants to be snuggled up whenever he's not on the move.  Having him come jump up in my lap definitely puts an immediate smile on my face.  Who doesn't love an adorable little puppy sound asleep next to them?!

Gordie is 9 1/2 weeks old and continues to be a pretty mellow dog!  His potty training is going well.  He gets a little confused about which door he should run to when he has to go.  Joe's house has three different entrances and it seems like we use them all depending on where in the house we are.  Despite the confusion, Gordie is being a trooper... he's doing better at it than Joe and I seem to be with teaching him.  Haha. 

He goes in spurts of bouncing off the wall energy and then a few minutes later he is the little snuggle monster I've grown to love.  Joe's parents, mainly his dad, have been helping quite a bit during the day so he's not crated all day while we're at work.  I think Joe's dad has developed quite the little bond with Gordie and it's absolutely adorable and very much appreciated!

Gordie has also taught me something in the short week and a half he's been with me.  I can live without space.  For those that know me well, know I'm independent and love my space from time to time.  Well, since we've got Gordie, I've stayed at Joe's every day since... Most people wouldn't find that to be odd or anything out of the ordinary, but for me, it's a big deal.  I think the weirdest part about it all... I haven't really thought of it as a bad thing. 

Friendships

As I get older (I know, 30 is SOOO old) I realize more and more that friendships are changing.  The friends you've had most of your life or even the ones that you had five years ago may not be the ones you call your "besties" now.  I am learning that having a few great friends is better than a handful of "decent" friends. 

People change and grow in separate directions, that is understanding... what I don't understand is how changing/growing isn't accepted within friendships.  Maybe this is something I will never understand.  There are friendships that I feel are more one sided than others.  One person putting forth the effort and getting little in return.  I am beginning to see that some of these friendship are more exhausting than enjoyable.  I am assuming this will always be an ongoing battle as year after year things change.

Although this posts sounds rather depressing, it's not meant to be that way.  I'm actually quite thankful that I'm realizing this more and more.  It makes me appreciate the "great" friends even more.  I am lucky enough to be able to say that my greatest friend, has been a friend for over 26 years!  And the best part, we've both went through some crazy chaos in our lives and yet our friendship adapts and we still remain close.  Now THAT is what I appreciate. (Love you Linny Jean!  Ha!)

I'm also realizing that the guy I've known for only 7 months has become one of the most important "friends" in my life.  He may never live up to the legacy of the Peggy/Louise friendship but he definitely is close behind!

This weekend we spent a lot of time with Joe's group of friends as it was Jen's birthday.  I am appreciating some of them more and more as I get to know them.  I'm very thankful he has a great group of friends that I can easily call my friends as well.

My Favorite Time Of Day

Mornings have always been my favorite part of any day.  For as long as I can remember I've actually enjoyed waking up early and/or just done it out of habit. 

The last few months I have learned a new appreciation for the art of sleeping in.  I have realized the world is not going to end nor will I miss anything if I'm not up and at 'em by 6:00 am.  Slowly but surely, Joe, without even knowing he's doing it, is teaching me to relax a little bit.  Sleeping in, not stressing out over every detail, trying to get me to do things that I don't need constant control over... I'm happy to say I gladly welcome any characteristic changes that make me a better person courtesy of the love of my life.

I guess the old saying of "opposites attract" really is true in a number of ways. 

Waking up to this...

definitely helps me realize and appreciate how great my life really is and how lucky I am to have a guy like him in my life.  And... that I now have the other cute little guy in the picture :)  An amazing guy and an amazing puppy... what's not to love about life?!

Meet Gordie!

The day finally came!!  On Friday, we picked up the cutest little puppy imaginable...meet Gordie.

He is the sweetest little guy.  He constantly wants to be by one of our sides and needs to be snuggled up next to us when he's not on the move.  I must say, he's been a pretty good boy so far...we'll see what the future holds for his behavior.  Haha.  Since it's been almost two years since Timber & Scout died, I had almost forgot what's it is like to have a dog around the house.  It's amazing how they have the ability to put a smile on your face even when smiling is the last thing you may want to do at the time.  It's only day three with him but it's safe to say that I fall more in love with the little stinker by the minute.

(if you look in the top picture, you can see his spot on his chest is shaped like a heart.  I love this quirky little characteristic about him!)

Here are a few other pictures. 

And We're One Week Away...

One week to go!! 
We had our last puppy visit last night and the anticipation to bring him home is killing me.  The puppies have their test with the behaviorist on Tuesday afternoon and then we will find out which dog(s) fit our wants/needs the best.  From there we'll pick which little guy comes home with us on Friday!  The selection process is very unique and definitely a well thought out system.  I, however, being the control freak that I am have started to have a hard time with NOT knowing which puppy is ours.  Haha.  I will admit that I have a favorite and while I would love to end up with him, realistically all the dogs are perfect.