Maxine

I think it is safe to say...the holidays are here! Now,where did we leave off? Oh yeah,puppies! Well in the last week I have made a ton of progress. We have decided to wait a few months and save our money for a puppy. We started a "Puppy Fund" and I am hoping it will grow faster after the holiday spending...I have also found a million new websites with the CUTEST puppy clothes and accessories you have ever seen! Laugh at me if you will..but I have gone puppy crazy and I have no shame! LOL! At the risk of sounding like a lunatic,let me explain.

"Her" name is going to be Maxine. Named after an elderly lady I have mentioned before. Maxine adores Chipper and we would love the honor of her sharing her name with our new little girl :) It was Vern's idea,yes,he's brilliant AND handsome :)
Since 2 dogs is my limit and I have always wanted a little girl,Maxine is it and I am going to have some fun with this!

• I have plans for a "Puppy Shower" to welcome and introduce Maxine to her new Aunties,Grandmas and friends!
• I will put bows in her hair and dress her like the little princess she'll be.
• I will own a puppy shoulder sling and be seen in public proudly wearing it with her inside.
• She will make it that much easier to toss out my biological clock.

Win win folks! I will restart my hunt for Maxine again in February..and I'm totally OK with that :)

Christmas is quickly approaching..i yi yi! My friend Jessica will be here tomorrow for an exciting weekend of Zoo Lights and a candle/work party and my house. I am hoping this weekend helps jump start me into the holiday spirit! I am sure next week will be crazy and we will have rooms full of family before we know it. I pretend that I am not stressing but inside I kinda am! I have quite a few last minute gifts to buy and 2 huge dinners to contribute to! Christmas Eve with my family at my sister's and then Christmas Day with Vern's family AND THEN back to work on Sunday...whew! I guess it just wouldn't feel like the holidays if it wasn't a little chaotic ;o)

I will try to keep up the blog but I will make no promises the next few weeks. I will do my best at taking pictures and hopefully keep you posted :)

Blame It On Estrogen

 A few months ago I starting considering adding another dog to our home. It took much thought but sometime last week the need for a puppy hit me like a ton of bricks.
 I started searching,researching,emailing..it grew into a crazy obsession. I am blaming it all on my biological clock and a hefty dose of PMS but this time I even shocked myself. I narrowed my decision down to a female Maltese. Chipper is half Maltese and doesn't shed and is also hypoallergenic. He was also free. I had no idea what a Maltese really cost.Until now. They range from $350-$5,000+!! I kept hitting dead end after dead end after dead end trying to afford or find one. Puppies were all I thought about and all I wanted to talk about. It. Was. Ridiculous!
So here we are to today. I did the best thing I know to do in these situations. I called my Mom. I told her what was going on and told her I needed a reality check or a loan for $300. I got what I asked for. My usually loving and sympathetic Mother lectured me like I brought home a failing report card! "You have your hands full with one dog.. " "Dogs shouldn't be that expensive..." "You have medical bills to pay...""This is not a good idea.."Whoa. I thanked her for the sound advice and did my best to pretend I wasn't upset. I hung up the phone and cried. I had to admit that what she said was true...I just wasn't as ready for it as I thought. Soon after Vern got home and I cried again and explained how totally broken and crazy I had become over a puppy. Vern being the always loving and supportive boyfriend he is, said and did all the right things. He understands how much it means to me yet he keeps me grounded with the faith that the right puppy will come along when the time is right.
 I sound insane right? As I have said before " I am a 33 year old childless woman with a ringing biological clock,cut me some slack!" In my world,after a few failed pregnancies in my 20's,2 rounds of cervical cancer (awaiting surgery for 2nd time as we speak),2 1/2 years with a foster son and finally the decision of permanent contraception...adding another puppy is like deciding to have a 2nd baby. Not the same,but emotionally similar for me.
By this evening I felt a lot better. I guess I just needed a good cry. I think I even needed that harsh reality check from my Mom. I am backing the search off to a healthy level. I have friends and family looking all over 3 states for "her". The support has been amazing from Vern AND Del,my sister Missy and my bestie Jessica. Somehow those people just knew how important this was to me without me saying...OK well Del took a little convincing but now he's excited. I am so grateful :) By blogging this, I realize all the good things that have come from this process. How lucky I am to have a support system of people who love me so much! I am willing to wait for the right dog. It won't be easy but I assume that if "she" is this hard to find it only means "she" is worth the wait :)

P.S.- Would it be appropriate to have a baby shower for the puppy? he he
Perhaps she will be a Valentine's Day puppy and we could have a fun, light hearted pink party in the spring?
Am I crazy?
Never mind. Don't answer the last question :0) I already know the answer! LOL!

Roommate Humor

 As Del heads upstairs with a plate of dinner,he pauses in the office to ask "Cara,did you get this marinara recipe from Martha (Stewart)?"
Me "No Del,that's a "Cara Creation"."
"Wow..nice job. It's killer!" he says as he laughs.
"Thanks Del"
He heads up the stairs and stops "Next time could you add bacon too?"
"Yes Del"

Thankful For More Great Memories

Things don't always go the way they are planned...

We woke up last Wednesday (24th) to MORE snow!

So we changed our weekend plans.

We traded a 3 day weekend at the beach for a night in a jacuzzi suite on the Tacoma waterfront.

I felt very spoiled :)

We arrived early in the afternoon in hopes of soaking up every last minute of luxury in our room.

The view was beautiful.

Apparently we weren't the only ones on a romantic snowy holiday...

This was our Thanksgiving paradise for the evening

We relaxed and enjoyed the view.

 We went for a walk on the waterfront.

We warmed up in a hot jacuzzi with a few cocktails.

(that whip cream vodka is dangerously yummy)

We enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner we made in the hotel room microwave.

We went for another walk on the docks after dark.

It was a perfect holiday

:)

We goofed around on the way home and enjoyed the "sights" of Tacoma.

Here is Vern "playing" with his truck...

We came home and ended a perfect weekend by decorating for Christmas and building a gingerbread house together.

How fun!!

If you haven't built one yet,YOU NEED TO!

This one came with great candy too!

We are letting this frosting dry for now,

phase 2 coming soon.

(If I can keep Vern from eating all the candy first)

I'm glad things don't always go the way they were planned...

:)

Snow-No-No-No...

48 hours from now we will be snuggled up in our camper at the beach. That is,if it ever stops snowing....

9 inches and counting.
It sure is beautiful though. I love how snow makes everything so quiet.
You may notice from the tracks in the lawn that Chipper LOVES the snow!
It is hilarious to watch him play and burrow through it until he has become a snowball himself.
It tends to get the rugs a little wet afterwards... but it's totally worth it in entertainment value!
As for me,I will stay inside snuggled in my new fuzzy robe...

Today

Today was..

That much more fun to go to work because I had something new to wear.

A bad hair day until I added a sparkly hair accessory and added a few curls.

Happy rain proof hair!

When I gave a heartbroken friend a long hug,a good cry and some much needed time to talk and vent.

An attempt to brighten up someone else's wardrobe by sharing hand me downs.

Watching Vern laugh so hard he cried.

Ended in a long talk with my Mom. She is the best Mother and also a great friend. I am so lucky :)

One day closer to our get away-6 more days!

Oh Happy Good Things

This was a great weekend..

I got a surprise visit from my Sister and Brother In Law on Monday. My Sister brought me 3 bags of beautiful clothes and they even treated me to lunch! I was feeling a bit hormonal and homesick and the visit was just what I needed :)

I spent that evening sorting through clothes and managed to clean out 4 large bags of my own stuff! If I haven't worn it in 6 months,it's gone! I also love passing the joy of "new" clothes to someone else..:)

I suppose it's time I let my secret out...Vern and I are sneaking off to the beach for Thanksgiving weekend. I AM SOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!! Just the 2 of us and Chipper in the camper,watching movies,reading books,eating turkey one night and seafood the next,walking the beach,snuggling,sleeping in,playing cards...the 24th can't come soon enough! I can't remember the last time I spent Thanksgiving away from family..? Here's to making new memories and perhaps a new tradition! =0)

In anticipation for our trip we did a little shopping today. Vern got the book he has been wanting and he bought me a fuzzy new robe and a movie "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs". I have heard it is very funny and it is on my list of movies I wanted to watch while at the beach. He spoils me!The only bad part is that I want to wait until vacation to watch it....will I survive another week?! I am counting the days.... : /

I am also beginning the search for another dog. I am not searching very hard as I am in no hurry but I should admit that I am looking! I would like a female,10 lbs. or less and a puppy would be best. I think Chipper would benefit from having a playmate and I think it would be nice to have another "girl" around. I'm not to sure Vern is sold on the idea yet but I think he'd prefer a puppy to a baby! I also think he understands that I am a woman in my 30's who is hoping that it will quiet my biological clock! LOL!!!

Off to browse for puppies one more time before bed...
:)