Just Some Update Pictures

I thought y'all would like to see how Miss Dozer Belle is growing.  Well...she's growing.  Her paws are huge, which doesn't bode well for her being a lap dog.  Diezel is an amazing big sister.  She puts the smack down when necessary and puts up with Dozie's endless chewing on her, climbing on her, and basically tormenting her.  Crate training, which worked with Dee, did not happen with Dozer.  She sleeps in bed with us and does really well.  Our thoughts are that she spent much of her life before meeting us in a cage and she just could't deal.  So she sleeps between us, like the big lush she is.  She is living up to her name too.  She bulldozes through life, especially outside where she has been known to go face first on her belly down a grassy hill followed by a few barrel rolls.  She also loves to doze...a lot.  This pup can sleep in any position at any time.  It's ridiculous. Well, here are a few recent pics.  Enjoy!

New Family Member

I would like for y'all to met the newest family member, Diezel's new little sister, Dozer Belle!!

We got her at a pet shelter in Salem, MA on Sunday.  We have known for a while that Dee needed a playmate (or "subwoofer" as we like to say), and after a lot of looking and waiting we decided to pull the trigger.  Dozie is 10 weeks old and was the first puppy we asked to play with and she and Dee were immediate best friends.  The staff at the shelter were amazed at their instant bond.  Ross and I knew we were done, we had to have her.  She was found with her litter-mates in Marietta, Georgia when she was 6 weeks old and was just brought up here last week.  Her middle name, Belle, reflects her roots as a Southern Belle. Her first name is Dozer because, well, we liked it.  It goes well with Diezel.  She is a hysterical sleeper (dozer) and she bulldozes her way through the world snout first.  We think she is half German Shepherd and half either Golden Retriever or Golden Lab.  We aren't sure.  Let me know if you have an opinion!! In the meantime, enjoy.

Captured!

Not Much To Say Today

Boston Strong

4/15/13

Killing Time, Killing Cancer

Your positive thoughts would be appreciated today.  My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer last week and is undergoing a lumpectomy today.  Please keep her in your thoughts during the surgery and recovery.  Thank you.

Serious Catch Up

Hello to you all!  I hope you haven't disappeared from my life just because I've been such a terrible blogger.  It's just that so much has been going on that sitting down to write a post has been at the bottom of my To Do pile.  I don't really know where to start so I will just post the basics and hope that works.  Then I can move forward and blog about some of the specifics.  So, where to start?.....

Okay, so Ross and I have been together for about 10 months and are still crazy about each other...and just crazy.  We have a condo about 45 minutes from Boston which I have had so much fun decorating. It has two bedrooms and four (!!!) bathrooms and is about 1600 square feet.  We have a nice big yard for Diezel (that crazy German Shepherd) to roam around in.  I love having a guest room because it allows us to host visitors at any time.  My mom came out from California in October and hopefully Mom and Dad will be able to come out together (with Arrow) this Spring.

Not the best picture since Ross looks unhappy, but you can imagine how hard it is to get a picture of both of us given that when I hand my camera to someone they look at all the buttons and the lenses and back away slowly.  Few photographs of the photographer.  

My handsome devil, not the best picture but I think he's always gorgeous. 

Moving on to grad school.  I completed my first semester of the grad program in December and am now two weeks into my second semester.  I am no longer nannying as of December because this semester is when it starts to get insane at school.  I miss the kiddos all the time and hope to work here and there to keep in touch.  This semester is when I get my first client in the clinic at Northeastern (the Northeastern University Speech-Language and Hearing Center).  I am also involved in a Language Literacy program which means going to a charter school in Boston to help with early literacy skills.  this has all been challenging, but fantastic. I still love Northeastern and am certain that I made the right choice when choosing where to go.  

Next up - vacation.  Ross, Dee, and I went to visit my parents in Napa Valley for Christmas.  Dee rode in the cabin with us thanks to a little simple paperwork.  She did amazingly! Not a peep from her and no fear.  She even rode the moving sidewalks and escalators in the airport!  Our girl is pretty much a genius.  We had a wonderful Christmas with my parents and really enjoyed the time off together.  After a week or so at my parents' house we all packed up for Lake Tahoe.  We picked up my Grandma at the airport from Texas on our way to the Tahoe house.  She is 82 and recently had a second knee replacement surgery and is still up for it all.  I hope I am half as whip smart and awesome as she is when I hit 82.  Not to mention that she doesn't look 82 at all.  Our time in Tahoe was particularly wonderful.  The area has had a particularly snowy year, meaning tons of powder to explore.  I'm talking 6 foot high snow drifts.  Dee loves the snow and so does Arrow, they had a ball playing together.  I really enjoyed showing Ross around the area and seeing his reactions.  We went up the gondola to Heavenly which is about 10,000 ft elevation.  We also spent one morning doing an ultimate snowmobile tour.  We had our own guide and went completely off trail through fields, over frozen rivers, and up some pretty steep mountains.  It was incredibly fun.  We have pretty much made the decision that we will be moving to Lake Tahoe when I finish grad school.  Something that makes my parents incredibly happy.  Ross fell in love with the area and all the available activities and I'm so happy because I've always pictured myself returning to California eventually.  

Me on top of the mountain at Heavenly looking East.

The lake and mountains.

Ross falling more in love with Tahoe.

The lake 

Looking more toward Nevada

A gorgeous day in Tahoe.  

Grandma in her favorite place: in front of the fireplace in Tahoe

Ross entertaining the pups in Tahoe

Snow Dogs

Dee in the snow.  She likes to lie in it, dig in it, shovel it with her nose, eat it, and catch snowballs in her mouth.  

A view while snowmobiling 

Snowmobiling: a view from one of the lookout spots

Awesome picture of future Tahoe residents.  

That's all for now guys.  Thanks for keeping up with our journey.  Sending you all much love. 

Ketchup

Hi everyone, I need to do some serious catch up here including the end of last semester, Christmas holiday in California, Dee on a plane, and recent return to school.  While I write a catch up post I will add a few fun pictures here for your enjoyment!