Thursday, March 31, 2011

Dogtown

We headed North today to pick out one of our wedding presents!!!


To say that we're excited doesn't even begin to describe our day. We've been talking for months about making a few furniture additions to our new abode - wherever that may be - and we finally made the choice!


Check back for more on our adventure and a reveal coming later...


Can you imagine furniture shopping with this fella??? It was interesting, but better and more fun than I could have ever imagined!

Monday, March 28, 2011

TK9: Week Two Visit

It's W.E.T. here, folks, and getting to our Ashby Girl was a little harder than anticipated :( We are scheduled to have a class every Saturday, but because of my bridal shower this past weekend, we made sure to plan ahead and schedule a time on Sunday instead. With the lovely Spring weather we received, though, those plans were pushed back as well. Red, the trainer, told Dave that we could come this morning around 9 am, and nothing was going to stop us - even the thunderstorms that came through early this A.M. Our teddy bear needed her HeartGuard... and we needed her kisses! Red warned us before she brought Ashby out, though, that she was extremely wet and muddy and a car visit may be the only option. That was fine with us... To our surprise, though, she was content playing with us on the gravel (which has been unusual in the past). Per usual, this is one of my favorite looks she gives :) I love the way she tilts her fuzzy little head! It always lets me know she's listening - and boy oh boy did she give us some good "sit" 's this morning! She's gotten so much better at not jumping on us and being content sitting beside your leg when we're not interacting or walking around!
She didn't seem like she grew as much this week as she had last visit (which was super nice - because we feel like we're missing out). She did, however, show off her curly hair due to being a little wet. As Red said, though, she definitely doesn't mind being wet. This girl loves some water!
Ash has been really good with our "sit" command from the start, but now we're trying to add a little complexity to it... She's doing well, but it's going to take some "training" Dave in the process, too. He loves her so much, he lets her get away with w.a.y. more than she should :)
If any of you have been around Dave when Ashby gets up in the morning, you'll know he hates what we call her "eye boogers". That's always #1 on the list after "potty outside". Luckily, Red feels the same way! Ashby, however, dislikes you messing with her crust... A LOT!
We try to make a conscious effort to take "family pictures" with our girl as much as possible, and with her being away at puppy camp, these little snap shots are what get us through the next week until we get to go back! Red has these great noises she makes that gets the puppies attention and proves for a great pictures for all!
Before we left, Dave gave Ashby Girl a new chewy. They are these pieces of raw-hide that he got from the vet that are supposed to keep her teeth extra clean and healthy. She thinks they are absolutely tasty and we love that she's getting some great chew-time while her teeth are being taking care of! Seeing her lick and chew on her new chewy made leaving a little easier :) Her chewy always makes her happy and a happy Ashby Girl = a happy Duck and Dave!

We're praying our usual upcoming Saturday visit doesn't get rained out again this week so we can get down to some much need instruction! And, of course, we can't wait to hug our teddy bear :)... and maybe brush her too!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Bridal Shower Sneak Peek

The last few weeks have been spent preparing (in various ways) for our quickly approaching wedding! With most of the big stuff taken care of and crossed off the list, this weekend brought with it a very exciting day! Today was my bridal shower at home and I can't begin to tell you how incredible it was! While 99% of the pictures are yet to be seen, I do have a few I wanted to share with you! I'm not sure how talented and truly amazing anyone else's mom is, but mine R.O.C.K.S. in every way! Among the many hats that she wears, "Crafter/Engineer" is one, and her creativeness is something I hope to find within myself one day! This lady can take just about any kind of material and turn it into the most fluffy piece of perfection anyone's ever seen! Knowing Ms. Jean's house might be a little hard to find, Mom felt something bright and pretty would help our guests along their way! Don't they look like they should be on the set of The Wizard of Oz in Munchinland?
And not only do I have the most incredible and creative mom in the world, but I also have a pretty awesome daddy! He's always offering to help (no matter how girlie the task may/may not be)! This morning, however, we were eternally greatful for Daddy coming along for the ride to put out the bows... Had he not been there, some of those lovely creations would have n.e.v.e.r. made it into the ground :)
To leave you with a little taste of Ms. Jean's sweet self, here is what greets you as you pull into her driveway:
...And let me tell you, this lady will never give you anything less than absolute perfection when you step into her fabulous home! She's truly a gem!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

5 Love Languages

So, I picked up a version of the 5 Love Languages last weekend, and although I will be making another trip to Barnes and Nobles to purchase the correct version :), I have been surveying the website that coincides with the book!
5 Love Languages <-- Go Ahead, Click on It!!!

The link I've provided should take you to their website where you can take a simple 30 question test to figure out what your love language is. From there it will give you a brief description that will hopefully be enough of a treat to send you straight out your front door to the bookstore of your choice to make a purchase! **I'm sure I'm starting to sound like I'm getting kick-backs from this book, but I promise I'm not.

I just got finished reading The Noticer (thank you Aunt Debbie!) and while it ties into us learning our own love language, it also feeds your soul in other ways! I highly recommend it as well!

I've missed being able to read freely... It's nice!

TK9: Week One Visit

We had our first visit with Ashby Girl this afternoon! She's officially been at camp for a week now and boy have we missed her! Dave and I were both so scared that everything we had taught her for the first two months we had her would be lost at puppy camp, but we're happy to report that she remembered everything and gave us just as many hugs and kisses as always! When Red, the trainer, brought her out to us, she was trying to reinforce the "stay calm and be nice" command with Ashby. Dave and I were in the process of going to look at some puppies and I stopped him and told him our puppy was coming. He took one look and said, "That's not our Ashby Girl. That dog is TOO big!" Little did he know how much she had already grown!

After all the hugs and kisses were given out, we sat down and had a nice "brush out Ashby Girl's fur" session. Although I'm certain she's well taken care of at camp, I just can't imagine my sweet girl not being brushed e.v.e.r.y. d.a.y.! That's our special time (even though she doesn't like it until you get to her belly) and she didn't seem to mind it at all today. Because this was just her first week at camp, she's not very far along in the "training" process yet. So, our visit today included LOTS of play time with our fuzzball and a little bit of exercising our memory of old tricks! Per usual, distraction of other "friends" makes a few commands a little harder than others, but Red said by week two we should be a huge improvement! Here's to waiting another LONG, gruesome seven days to play with our teddy bear face again :)


Positives:


  • She didn't forget how much she loved us

  • She didn't forget the awesome tricks we taught her

  • She doesn't try to nibble on your hands when you put her leash on

  • She's working hard on her "stay"


Negatives:



  • We had to leave her... AGAIN!

  • We won't get to see her again until next weekend.

  • We constantly WORRY about her - after all, she's just slightly pampered :)

Check back next weekend for Week Two updates!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Ashby Girl, UPDATE!


We just got our first picture updates of our sweet Ashby Girl, and I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am. We've been waiting since Saturday to see that our teddy bear was ok and having a blast... looks to me like she's made a friend at camp! After all, it's tough being away from home - why not make it a little easier with a new pal?
I can't wait for the end of the week to get here! It just can't come soon enough! I need her cold nose and lots and lots of kisses!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Browsing Barnes and Noble

Dave and I decided a while back that we wanted to do some pre-marriage counseling with the pastor at our church before we got married. We love him dearly and the person the encourages us to be! During our first session we talked about what our Love Language was. If you've never heard about this or have but would really like to delve a little deeper into, go grab the book! After church Sunday I meandered over to our Barnes and Noble and decided this (along with another book I'll show you in a minute) was something I wanted to read before we got married - in TWO MONTHS!After talking through the five different Love Languages in our session, it finally made complete sense why Dave and I handle things differently and why we need comfort and compassion in different ways! God's working in our lives... I can just feel it!

The other book I picked up was another one by Gary Chapman. It encourages you to take a look into the person you are and the way you were raised in order to be the best significant other possible - all the while growing together in Christ.
I can't tell you how excited I am to start reading! I'm hoping to read The Five Love Languages before our next meeting, so I guess I better get busy!

On my way to the check out counter, I also spotted this little baby! The title, of course, caught my attention, but after opening it and reading a few little entries I was beside myself at how true some of these things were! I did not purchase this particular book, but if anyone's curious or needs a cute little gift for a newly married couple, I think this would be perfect! I almost bought the two they had (on sale for $6.88) to keep and give away to my friends as they got married!
Go get the first book! You won't regret better understanding your own Love Language and those of the people closest to you!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Today is NOT a Happy Friday

We just dropped our sweet face off at Puppy Camp...


...Where she's supposed to run and play and meet new friends...


...And learn new tricks...


...And learn how to NOT chew on the sofa cushions...


But Davis and I are sad, very sad. We aren't even ten miles away and we've already contemplated going back and picking her up. We get to go visit next Saturday, but man oh man, that seems like an eternity!


She's NEVER been away from Dave, and he's NEVER spent a night without her.


This is going to be t.o.u.g.h.


I am NOT looking forward to settling down tonight with our puppy.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

13 Weeks and Another Vet Visit

Because of our sweet girl heading off to Puppy Camp tomorrow, we had to bring her back to the vet for one more set of shots :(

She doesn't seem to mind the place, even though she always leaves in my arms... feeling a little "urpy".

Today when we put her up on the scale, our little lady weighed 14 lbs! That's a 1.6lb weight gain in a week! WOW. I was not expecting that at all!
As always, she acted like a big girl when we put her up on the table and didn't even cry when she got her two shots!
On our way out today, though, one of the ladies said she needed a little trim around her eyes. If you let their hair get too long in that area, it will actually start to scratch their eyes (and that's obviously not good - who knew?). So, while I had her in my arms, I asked the lady if she would just go ahead and trim her. **Please Note: I had a v.e.r.y. hard time with this. I was not expecting my puppy to already need a hair cut and had not mentally prepared myself for the change it would make in her sweet face.** The nice lady sweet obliged and Ashby stayed as still as she possibly could while having her little face trimmed. Now don't get me wrong, I want our puppy to be taken care of and not get her eyes scratched, but man... she's still just a puppy :(
I am happy to report that our car ride home was a lot less eventful than the last trip to the vet, and Ashby Dog Ashley is already jumping and biting at our legs! That's her, though... and we love every minute of it!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Lunch Surprise

Dave and I have both been trying to make trips home a little more often since Christmas. We both decided this last week that we would go to our respective locations and spend a few days, but what we didn't think about was how much we would miss the other!

This has been the first time I've been away from Ashby Girl in three weeks, and I can't even begin to tell you how much I miss her! Dave and I FaceTime as much as we can, but it still doesn't fill the void :(

This morning, not long after I woke up, Dave sent me a message asking what I was doing today. I told him I had no plans and he quickly told me he and his dad were going to fly to see me and have lunch... and that Ashby was coming, too! Talk about being super excited!
She did so well on the flight over! I was so proud of her and uber happy to see her sweet face! My mom and I met my sister at Peter Cottontale this weekend (a craft exhibition) and I found these sweet, Ashby-size bows to put in her hair! Aren't they just so cute? I 've been looking for some doggy-bows for her, but haven't been able to find any. When I found these on Saturday, I just knew she had to have them! And they actually hold tight enough in her hair!!! Dave isn't loving them, but I sure am getting tired of people coming up to us and saying, "HE's so cute!"... HELLO - SHE is NOT a boy!!!
Growing up I never really cared for puppies, but since we've gotten Ashby Girl, I can't imagine our little home without her! She's leaving us on Friday for Puppy Camp, and we're already feeling it :( As silly as this sounds, keep her in your prayers that she has a wonderful time and does cry too much when we leave (I think we'll be taking care of that one for her!).

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Sunday Fun-Day


I got a wonderful sewing machine for Christmas and finally broke it out today with my mom!
I had seen some super cute invitations on another blog that I read and have been dying to try my hand and recreating them!
With my super incredible mom and all her sewing knowledge, she set out to teach me how to work this lovely little machine and how to go about mastering my project!
Good News: I did it all by myself!
Not So Good News: I absolutely, 100% cannot sew a straight line. Guess that just comes with a l.o.t. of practice!
Thanks Momma, for showing me how to sew and sharing such a special experience with me! Hopefully one day I can make special prizes for you like you always have for me!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Dreamland in the RAIN

We had dinner tonight at The Orginal Dreamland with Tom and Mrs. Jeannie!

On their way through town (heading to a week full of fun festivities for Mardi Gras), they decided to make a little stay-over here in town to have a fun, local dinner.

I'm happy to report that hey LOVED the ribs and were impressed by the crowd such a small but nationally known eatery has brought in!

We forgot to get a picture at dinner, but Dave had promised me that if I ate ribs at Dreamland, he would go by McDonalds get TWO apple pies! I was so excited. Those used to be a treat that my daddy would get for me, so anytime I can barter for them, I will!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Working Out with TRX


So, Dave and I have started a "TWO MONTH TRX BOOTCAMP" at our house.
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Yep, you heard right. We started working out Monday and have vowed to work our little booties to the day we leave for NYC!
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That weird contraption hanging from the door: that would be TRX. It's nothing more than using your own body weight in exercises you've probably done a million times before in a more productive and intense way.
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This morning, though, Ashby Girl decided she wanted to work out, too! She sat quietly for a little while watching every move her Davis made, and then... without one little peep, decided she needed in on the action.
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Words cannot express how FUNNY this was! I wish I had hit "video" on my iphone!
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**Side Note: If you're wondering what all that crap is on the back of our front door... It's Wedding Central Station! We sat down the other day and wrote out everything we needed to do and put it on the door. It's helping a TON!**

Wedding Wednesday

We're in f.u.l.l. swing planning mode.

We've touched base with just about everyone we can in order to make a reservation, make the day special or just to plan something fun.

I continually find it so fun to look at wedding blogs and all the different things people are using as part of their planning process.

The picture I've posted today came from http://www.100layercake.com/blog/page/6.

I love all the different types of invitations, and how they all exude different personalities of different themes and people.

We are officially upon the two month countdown and feeling every second of it.... but getting more and more excited as things keep coming together.

Thanks for traveling this journey with us!

But, it's just beginning :)

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Getting Ready for Puppy Camp


Ashby Girl had a play date today, but before we could head over to Meg's to play with Murphy and Regan, we had to cross a few things off our of list.
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Ash is heading to Puppy Camp next week and needed a few things before she goes. Her "g-ma breeder" started her out eating 4 Health Puppy Food and the only place you can purchase this particular type of food is at the Tractor Supply Co. Luckily, we have one of those here and it wasn't too far away from where we were heading anyway.
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Per usual, I made Davis take our picture, documenting our little adventure. She may not be able to flip through photo albums, but I want to be able to remember all the adventures and fun days spent with our sweet addition!
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Food for ONE MONTH of Puppy Camp: CHECK!
Updated on all shots: ALMOST
Prepared to be away from the two of us: NO WAY!

Tired Girls

Yesterday after Ashby had to get some shots Loren felt bad for her and finally let her get on the bed. She has made it clear from the start that she didnt sign up for puppies on the couch and especially no puppies on the bed. After just a little exploring on Ashby's part she found her a spot on the end of the bed and Loren took her spot next to her. They got a good afternoon nap.
Ashby is 100% better today and is back to normal. She might be a handful today since she slept all day yesterday.