clean floors, dirty paws

Abner usually wears a harness because of his sensitive bulldog trachea but because Ryan thinks he looks like a dork, we got him a "big boy" collar for camping. He was PUMPED on wearing it at first but soon had to stop every 20 seconds to itch his neck. Finally Ryan gave him a good scratch and... He went back to wearing the dorky harness

This past Friday night, in a champagne induced coma, I agreed to go camping; in fact, I may have even suggested it. We did a quick Google search for campgrounds in Big Sur that were both dog friendly and close to the river and came across Fernwood resort. Ryan called to make a reservation and we got the last available site for the following night. The next morning I woke up with cotton mouth and a vague recollection that we were going camping, the enormous grin on Ryan’s face confirmed it. Ryan began to gather his camping gear from the shed and I packed up some snacks blankets and clothes. With the car neatly packed (my husband is an exceptional packer) and one stop for hot dogs, s’more supplies and cheap beer, we were on our way. It had been years since I had driven down Highway 1 and I had forgotten how absolutely beautiful it is. Sometimes with things as amazing as Big Sur right in your backyard you forget to actually GO. We arrived at our campground, checked in and soon dis

This past weekend we took a little impromptu camping trip to Big Sur. Here is a quick shot of us by the creek. Note, the camera was sitting on a rock in the middle of the creek and set to timer. I think it came out quite nice but this next picture is more "us." don't ya think?

While going through some picture files I noticed that we don't have many pictures of Georgia. Ryan decided we should have a few good ones just in case she gets lost and we need to post fliers around the neighborhood. We are always thinking positively over here! Anyway, here is one I particularly like.

We recently started doing some serious yard work and by we I mean Ryan...and I bring him beer. Abner obviously likes to help

You can’t make it through a day without hearing about a million different things you need. You need this new television, this new phone, a new video game, perhaps a new car. More fruit and fewer cookies, more whole grains and fewer potato chips. It seems like every single day there is MORE of everything in this world except for what we need most; not love or world peace, this isn’t a Miss America pageant, I think we need more RESPECT. Imagine a world where there was more respect; and I’m not just talking between a man and a woman. What if we respected each other, our bodies, the earth, ANIMALS, boundaries, laws, responsibilities? What if parents started respecting their children more and children their parents? If we as humans started giving animals the respect they deserve? If we stopped wanting all the time at the expense of the planet and looked at what we really need? I’m certainly not saying you have to like everyone and everything or even agree with different opinions, b

This past weekend, my cousin, her BFF and her BFF’s two cousins went to Tahoe for a little girl’s trip. Now before you comment on my use of BFF, you should know that I HATE internet abbreviations but that is what Jenny calls her so in this case, and ONLY this case, it is a proper name, not an abbreviation and I will allow it. Moving on. We left Friday morning and we were all so excited to get away. It was like we were all 5 years old and we were going to Disneyland for the first time. I think we all needed it. Some of us more than others, but I digress. I went into this trip almost completely blind; on purpose of course. I wanted to go and have absolutely no control over what we did, where we stayed, who else was coming, where we were eating, etc. I knew if I knew all the details I would worry about it and be stressed out before we even left. Knowing nothing was actually kind of fun. I won’t get used to it of course, I am most definitely a DETAIL NEED TO KNOWER/PLANNER, but i

This is what I miss when I'm out of town!

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately and we have been hitting up the beach any chance we get. I'm pretty sure Abner is happy about this.

(and the list is looong) of things that annoy me. Those stickers that depict each family member as a stick figure, Mickey Mouse ear wearing stick figure or sport of choice attire wearing stick figure. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I DON’T CARE how many children you have, their names and/or their favorite activity. Today I actually saw a bumper sticker that said,” CAUTION twin babies and a big sister on board!” CAUTION? WHY? What are your children going to do? Is the big sister going to throw the twins out the window? Do I need to look out for cheerios flying out of your window as I pass? Who the hell came up with these anyway? Perhaps some parent was bummed that their child never got a “perfect attendance or “my child is an honor student of…” sticker so they decided to invent a new way to brag to STRANGERS minding their own business. The only thing more annoying than the family stick figure stickers is the unmistakable baby on board, bright yellow caution sign suction

Abner at 7 weeks old. I'm melting all over again.

Last night Ryan and I climbed into bed with heavy eyes and upon getting comfortable realized we hadn’t turned off the light. I looked at him. He looked at me. We stared at each other and just as he motioned to get up I was all, “oh, babe, I would have totally gotten up.” SUCKER! I lay back down and he, in a way only he could, kind of like a giant 5 year old, bounced up and kind of leaped to the foot of the bed. BAM! Our bed hit the floor! I shot up and looked at him and that is when I said it. The kind of thing you try not to say but somehow, once you open your mouth, you cannot stop the words from coming out. “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?” Something so stupid that I immediately regretted saying it because I got the exact reaction I expected. “Oh, because I KNEW this was going to happen! Like I have NEVER jumped on the bed before! Like we never move around in this bed! Yeah, I was SO TRYING to break the bed!” I tried to back peddle but it was too late. There was nothing left to do

I think not.

It all started a few years ago when I met a French Bulldog and fell in love with the breed. I was determined that some how, some way, I would have a Frenchie of my own. His name would be Abner and he would be fawn color with a black mask. He would never pee in the house, observe all rules and of course, like me the best. This obsession with wanting a puppy quickly went from looking at cute pictures of puppies to I MUST HAVE A PUPPY NOW! Kind of like Veruca Salt when she demands one of those adorable squirrels. Flash forward a few weeks and I have chosen a puppy and am now officially obsessed; but I have to act fast, really fast. The breeder is literally telling me that if I don’t decide within the next hour I may not get MY puppy and more than likely the world will end. Only problem was that I was not exactly ready. I lived in a place where I could not have a dog, and while I was already planning on moving, I was not planning on it being so soon. Also, there was Lilly, Ryan’s

Abner got in trouble for chasing the cat behind the couch. Best to just stay put and blend in.

I promise to write a real post this weekend, but in the mean time let's talk about KFC! Seriously, a whole chicken breast shoved into a knock off McDonald's hash brown holder! What the fuck are you doing? Gross. I Know it is SO inconvenient to have to eat with UTENSILS but come on, this is disgusting, even for you! That's all...Happy Friday

After many days of rain, one likes to lay on his back, chew a good bone, and enjoy the sunshine. Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I am planning on writing this weekend.

Watching the Dog Whisperer. Not paying attention, mind you. Just watching and probably mocking "those" dogs. You know, that kind who actually LISTEN, such dorks!