these are my confessions.

My sister sent me a link to this yesterday - the signs that you treat your dog better than you treat yourself. If you haven't seen it yet, you MUST check it out because the pictures are awesome. Here's what I have to say about the whole thing:

1. You shiver half the night because you let them steal all the blankets. Truth. I also sleep curled up in a ball because she tends to sprawl out in the middle of the bed.
2. They have their own personal tablet to watch animal shows on. Um, no, that would be weird. She uses the TV in our bedroom so she can get comfy and relax. Also, Animal Planet has some shows that are not age-appropriate for Claire, so she tends to watch The Food Network.
3. More people show up to their birthday party than to yours.  Again, truth. People and dogs. The neighborhood pups aren't willing to come to mine...
4. You take your job super seriously but you never get mad when they slack off at theirs. Yes. I mean, how can you get mad at that sweet little face?!
5. You sing them lullabies to help them get to sleep... every night. Well, I sing along with the Spotify playlist that I made for her. She finds The Civil Wars very soothing.
6. You pay top dollar for their groomer but you haven't been to a hairdresser in ten years. She has short fur so she doesn't need a trim, but she does get "manicures" - and I haven't been to get my nails done in a really long time... Pretend you aren't looking the next time you see me.
7. You took the time to teach them to surf, but you can barely swim. Not true; I'm a Cape Cod girl, so I love the water! Though I did take up running because it's Claire's favorite thing to do.
8. You take the day off work to make sure they don’t overheat on the hottest day of the year. I have done this in the past. Thankfully I won't have to do this at the job I have now because I can work from home and personally make sure that Claire is comfortable with the temperature set on the AC control.
9. You spend your life savings on emergency surgery for them and would definitely do it again. A few things about this: (a) I'm a social worker, therefore I don't make enough to have savings, and (b) I'd cash out the ol' 401K if I needed to. But praise God that she hasn't needed emergency surgery because my heart would break for her!
10. Your significant other is convinced you love them more. I don't  have a significant other. Probably because everyone knows that nobody puts Baby in the corner. No second place for my girl!
11. You take them to the dog park everyday after work instead of going out and having fun with human people. I did this every day for the first three years of her life - and I met some of my good friends because of it (humans, not dogs). Now she tends to have more low-key afternoons since she's a mature 4-year-old.
12. You sleep on the floor with them when they're not feeling well. I have done this on the few occasions that Claire was too sick to come to bed. When she had pancreatitis, she couldn't get off the couch one night, so she slept there and I slept on the floor next to her.
13. You spend more money on toys for them than your parents spent on you as a child. Hahaha! When we were home on Cape Cod, even my mother commented on the endless supply of toys!
14. You spent more time stressing out about their doggy wedding to the neighbor’s dog than your own. Not applicable, people! Besides, the neighbor's dog hates Claire. And Claire's many boyfriends would be jealous...
    
    

last week's headlines.

Headlines from the past week include:

1.  Claire meets the neighbors!

2.  Claire gets beaten up by a cat!

3.  Claire watches the Red Sox!

4.  Claire takes over the car!

5.  Claire continues to swim!

I've been letting Claire roam around the front yard over my lunch break because, well, she needs to be able to run and explore, and most people are at work during the day so there are even less cars running through our quiet neighborhood. Last week I attempted to play frisbee with her, but I'm apparently too boring, so she trotted over to my neighbors yard to sniff around their bushes for rabbits. As I called her to come to me, my neighbor opened the door to say hi and Claire just waltzed right in. My neighbor thought this was hysterical and didn't mind at all, so as we caught up, Claire explored her house. Every so often, she'd come back to the front door to check in with me, and then she'd run off to explore their house some more. At one point, I asked where she went and my neighbor found her snuggling on her daughter's bed among her stuffed animals...

In other news, my mother's forsythia is a hiding place for the neighborhood cats. Claire stumbled upon them one day and tried to engage them in playtime. She wasn't catching on that the hissing wasn't an invitation, and she was ignoring me as I told her to leave it. In an split second, one of the cats swiped her across the face and scared the hell out of her. I think it's safe to say that she's learned her lesson and gives the cats a wide berth when crossing their path now. We'll see how long this lasts before they have to teach her another lesson. In all fairness, she did get a variety of warnings...

Massachusetts is, of course, a state that mainly consists of Red Sox fans. If there's a game on, you can bet we're watching it in my mom's household. The Sox played the Yankees (boo) a few days ago and Claire joined my mom and her boyfriend to watch our team win. Please note that while she got to sit on the couch, I was relegated to the floor -- which is also where I am sitting currently as she snuggles with the fam once again. Super! (Also, check it out: the furniture is still covered haha!)

With the car trouble that I've had lately, a family friend offered to help out and fix what he could while I'm home -- especially before I make the 19-21 hour drive back to Nashville in a few weeks. In addition to installing new brakes, fixing a broken visor, rotating the tires, and completing a 60K check, he changed my cabin air filter. Now please, don't judge me -- think of who my main passenger is! Can you imagine what the inside of my car looks like if this is what the air filter looks like? Can you imagine what my LUNGS look like if this is what the air filter looks like? Good grief...

Claire and I took a very long walk on the beach over the weekend. It was the PERFECT day in terms of weather, I was feeling great, and Claire was ready to get moving. I drove down to the beach and we walked a few miles before stopping for a swim. It still takes her a little while to get used to the waves rolling in before she goes swimming, but after running along the shore for a few minutes, she's brave enough to bound in. Rumor has it that people have spotted some sharks off the coast, so hopefully neither of us will run into them over the next few weeks. I'm not a fan of JAWS reinactments -- though I'm sure Claire could take 'em, I don't want the chance to find out! Here's my happy girl walking along the jetty right before our swim:

 

cape life.

Here we are, a full month after our last post. Where does the time go?! Claire and I took a little road trip from Nashville to Cape Cod last weekend and we'll be here for the next month. Whenever I'm here, I feel like I can just exhale. I can't think of any other way to put it, so... that's that.

Can I just say that it is a VERY long drive from Tennessee to Massachusetts? It was quite eventful, too, as the air conditioner in my car broke halfway through the extremely large state of Virginia. If it hadn't been a sunny 90*F day, I would have tried to ride it out until we got here, but because it was just so hot, I had to stop and get it repaired. Thankfully it was an easy fix and we were able to get back on the road after three hours or so -- and I have to give Firestone a huge shout-out (the one in Nowheresville, VA) for being so awesome and letting Claire hang out in the lobby. They even gave her treats and water while we waited. Talk about service!

We finally made it to Harrisburg PA where we stayed in a hotel for the night. Claire got her own queen-sized bed, which she was quite excited about, as you can see by the blur of her wagging tail in this picture:

 

We made it to the Cape the next day without any hiccups, and I cannot emphasize enough how glad we both were to get out of the car. I actually have no recollection of what we did that night because my mind was blank from driving for so long. The one thing that I did not anticipate was how rough the drive would be on my body. My fibromyalgia flared up like mad and after a full week, I'm finally feeling better. Note to self for the next time: break up the drive into three days, not two.

 

The next morning, Claire and I woke up early and took a long walk on the beach. It was her first time there, and y'all, I can't wait to post the video of her reaction. But that will have to wait until I get back to Nashville, so hang tight in the meantime. At first she was afraid of the waves, but by the end of our walk, she was running straight into them. She tried to drink the water like she does when I take her to the river in Nashville, but the salt from the ocean made her sneeze. Puppy sneezes are the cutest! But she didn't try to drink it again, which was a safe bet. And hey, this is a picture that I took of the sunrise that morning. Can you tell that it was the perfect day?

 

 

 

 

Later that day, one of my besties came to visit and it was AMAZING to see her. It had been a year since we'd seen each other, and I fully intend for us to visit a lot over the next month!! We went out to lunch to catch up and then spent the afternoon hanging out on the beach. Claire was so tired after her morning romp in the waves, so I didn't feel bad leaving her for a few hours. She needed the rest!

 

 

I know some of y'all are connected with us on our Facebook page, but for those of you who aren't, you need to know that part of my mother's preparation for our arrival included putting sheets all over the furniture to "protect" them from Claire's fur. Clearly, we never had dogs growing up. Anyway, Claire's new favorite lookout is the window behind the sheeted couch, which gives her a good view of one side of our neighborhood (and, more importantly, of the squirrels and rabbits), so she's been spending a lot of time here. Again, please note the happy tail.

 

 

Interestingly enough, my mom forgot to cover one chair in the house, which has become a great place for naps. Claire is smart enough to curl up here when my mom isn't home. I don't have the heart to tell her to get off, especially when she's as cute as she is. Who wants to disturb a comfortable dog, anyway? Not me. That's just mean!

 

 

 

Of course, I still have to work during the week (though I'm so thankful that I can work remotely!), but Claire and I have settled into a routine that seems to be working well. My "office" is in a room that I only go into while I'm working - I thought that would help Claire understand that I can't play when we're there. We get up in the morning and go for a long walk, eat breakfast, and do a little training, and then I get the work day started. Claire hangs out with me and naps until lunch, alternating between the floor, the couch, and this cozy little pallet that I've set up for her next to my desk.

 

 

 

I've got an hour break for lunch, so after grabbing some food, Claire and I spend some time playing frisbee, going running, and doing more training. After she's gotten out some energy, she's ready to lounge around while I finish up the second half of the work day. At night, we've been heading to the beach after most of the tourists have left, and we'll go for another long walk/run so I can unwind and Claire can get back outside for a bit. Then it's time for dinner and playtime (she likes to play tug with her stuffed animals, and four of them have already succombed to her destruction), and then we hang out with my mom and her boyfriend before calling it a night.

 

 

The other night we went for a walk at the Harbor instead of at the beach - mainly because I was feeling nostalgic for a place where my friends and I hung out a lot when we were in high school. There were a couple other dogs around and Claire did really well by not reacting to them. I was so proud of her! Anyway, while we were walking on the docks, Claire saw ducks for the first time EVER and was absolutely fascinated by them. She didn't cry or whine or bark, she just sat there transfixed. Birds in the water? Who would've thought!

 

So, now you know what we've been up to and where we've been lately! I'll be posting again next weekend, for sure. And of course I'll share more pictures too. Hope you all are well and have been enjoying your summer!

 

projects and painting and planning, oh my!

A title like that can only mean one thing: Mom was in town! She came for a visit this weekend and whipped our house into shape with nine million projects that were able to be completed in a mere 72 hours - and she still made sure that we had time to go out to eat with friends! I am jealous of her energy, especially since it takes me a solid five cups of coffee before I am even 25% as efficient as she is with her time! I don't know how she does it, but I'm hoping she'll share her secret with me someday!

The house projects were as follows:

-- hang up the kitchen curtains that have been sitting in storage for a year

-- hang up the guest room curtains that have been sitting in storage for two years

-- caulk and repair the corner of the cabinet that Claire destroyed from the act of busting out of her kennel when we first moved in... which took place back in 2010

-- caulk and repair the window frame in my bedroom that was damaged during the Break-In of 2011

-- buy new frames for pictures

-- hang up two pictures

-- touch up the paint on the walls in the kitchen

-- touch up the paint on the walls in the living room

-- touch up the paint on the walls in my bedroom

-- touch up the paint on the walls in the guest room [which turned into repainting the whole room because we bought the wrong paint color and didn't realize until it was too late]

-- clean out the shed so my friend can store her things there while she's out of the country

-- search for the Missing Suitcase [this was the one thing that was unsuccessful]

-- decorate the bathroom

Claire was a rockstar this weekend. I really wanted to be able to take her hiking with my mom and me, but as you can see from the aforementioned list [which is not comprehensive, by the way], there wasn't enough time! It was also really hot and humid this weekend, so it wasn't the best hiking weather anyway. So Claire hung out with us while we worked on these projects, and she was happy doing just that: hanging out with us [and getting some treats while doing so, like coconut milk ice cream and fresh strawberries]. The paint made her sneeze, though, so she laid by the bedroom door while we worked in the guest room. That didn't stop her from trying to help out by rubbing up against the freshly painted wall...

Oh, my dog? She's the one that's black and white with a gray butt.

Claire and Mumsies!

what we're looking forward to.

So. After doing a lot of thinking and planning and talking things through, I have decided that Claire and I are going to go home to Cape Cod for a few weeks this summer. Like... for a whole five of them. It'll take two days to drive there and two days to drive back, but Claire did great on the trip home in 2011, so I think she'll be great this time too. I'll be working remotely, so I won't have to use any vacation days or anything. And when I'm not working, I plan on taking Claire for lots of early morning and twilight runs at the beach, lunch time swimming breaks down at the pond by my house, weekend walks on the bike path in Woods Hole, and play dates for Claire with my brother's dog Lexie (and maybe Brianna and Asya if she's lucky!). And a whole lot of quality time with family. I think it's going to be really good rest for my soul, and it'll all just be so exciting for Claire. I'm really really looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I've been creating a wish list of things to buy before we head up north. I'm sure that there's a whole bunch of things that I haven't even thought of, so share your suggestions in the comments section if I need to add things! As for what I have so far...

This dog bed and bed cover by Boots&Barkley

which is perfect for lounging while I'm busy working.

This life jacket from Ruffwear

to keep Claire safe while treading salt water.

This 30-foot leash so Claire can roam in the yard
while I enjoy some quiet time in the mornings on the porch.

An extra set of elevated dog bowls by Popware;
they're so great that I think I need to keep a set back home too for future visits.

Any other ideas of things to buy for our trip home?

the mess of a monday morning.

Sorry about our unexpected hiatus from the blogging world - I've been sick for the past few weeks (so typical) and so Little One spent a bit more time at Bark-O-Lounge than usual. I'd like to think that I'm on the mend now, however, so we're getting back into our groove. And of course we had to come back with a bang...

I was running late for work this morning, so while I rushed around the kitchen throwing together breakfast and lunch, I let Claire into the backyard for a few minutes. I was keeping an eye on her out the kitchen window, and I saw her start digging by the shed. It's rained for the past million days, so I ran outside to tell her to stop playing in the mud and come inside so I could clean her up before I left for work. As I ran outside, however, I saw Claire wagging her tail like crazy and puppy-bow at something. I looked around the corner to see who/what she had befriended juuuust in time to see her get sprayed by a skunk. She yelped and then began rolling around in the mud - possibly to get the smell off? or to get it further embedded in her fur? I'm not sure what the purpose of that was, but she was a hot mess.

When I finally managed to wrangle her inside, I put her in the bathroom while I tried to find some tomato sauce. Does anyone even own plain boring tomato sauce? I mean, I had a variety of name-brand options. Four cheese, sweet basil marinara, vodka sauce, spicy red pepper, etc. I grabbed a jar of the sweet basil and dumped it all over her. For a girl who isn't a fan of the bath in general, why would she like getting scrubbed with tomato sauce? Before I knew it, she leapt into me, covering me with marinara, and then started running around the house. I ran after her and tried to grab her, but she thought we were playing a game of chase, so she took off just as I got close enough to catch her. Then she stopped in the dead center of the kitchen and shook sauce and mud all over the place. I managed to get ahold of her mid-shake and carried her back to the tub so I could finish giving her a bath.

At this point, I was ridiculously late for work but I was a disaster - as was my house. I managed to take a quick shower, change clothes, clean up the kitchen, throw all of the towels into the washing machine, and run out the door in less than 15 minutes. Claire was sulking on the couch when I left, likely for ruining her fun with a bath, but hey, at least she was clean and smelling like an Italian side dish.

   

happy 4th birthday to claire!

My sweet girl turned four today - making the next six months the only time in our lives that we will be the same age (if you're counting her age in dog years, that is).

She could feel the excitement in the air, which was evident at 730am when she forced me to wake up to begin the celebration! We started the day by going for an early morning hike at a new place, and we will definitely be going there again! It was a perfect day for a perfect hike that included a dip in the creek, a run through some cornfields, and a romp with some horses. We both loved it and will be hiking this trail a lot over the next few months!

On our way back home, we stopped by my dear friend Shannon's house and Claire had a great time hanging out with Shannon's adorable kids! Lindsay Miller and Brooke played fetch with her and chased her around their backyard - two of her favorite games. Claire couldn't get enough of the kids and would've been quite content to follow them around for the whole day.

Next, we went to See Spot Eat to get Claire some special birthday treats. Her day wouldn't be complete without some fresh salmon ice cream! Of course, it didn't make it out the door, so we grabbed some other snacks for the next few days too!

Claire was completely exhausted at that point, so we went back home for a little nap. Because it was such a beautiful day, I opened all the doors to get some fresh air in the house while we napped, and it was nothing short of amazing!

When we woke up, Claire was ready to go back outside, so we went on another long walk and stopped by Rebel's house so she could see him and play for a bit before we continued on our way. He is such a good boy, and he was just as excited as she was to get a chance to play. He is so sweet to her and kept kissing her baby face. It just melted my heart!

Once we got home, Claire was just about ready for bed. So much excitement will do that to a girl, you know. But she had to have "cake" first, so I made her one that was made of dog food and mashed pumpkin, and topped with a pumpkin and rice flour biscotti dipped in carob and yogurt. And after that? Well, she's been fast asleep for the past few hours already, which can only mean that her birthday was a success!

Enjoy some Instagram pics from Claire's 4th birthday!

lapdog.

Sometimes I think the "Poppy the Lapdog" cartoon was modeled after Claire. I mean, check this out (and thanks to our friend Carrie for letting me share this picture of the mutual love that you two have for one another!):

well-matched.

When people ask me what mix Claire is, I like to joke that she's 50% dog and 50% human. But seriously, when I think about how alike we are, I think there's a lot about me that has rubbed off on her over the past almost-four years together. For instance...

1. We have some of the same hobbies: eating, sleeping, exploring, and being with friends.

2. We are both extremely empathetic. Whenever someone is crying and sad, Claire stops whatever she is doing and goes right over to the person to try and make them feel better. As for me, I'm a social worker. 'Nuff said.

3. We love snuggling, but we can't fall asleep unless we both have space to stretch out.

4. We have a strong appreciation for nature, and we love being outside. The weekends have been filled with leisurely walks and romps in the field near my house.

5. It doesn't take much to make us happy. We like the simple things in life.

6. We guard our food. No sharing when it comes to deliciousness! Get your own!

7. We get grumpy when we are tired. And then it's best that we have some quiet time.

8. Two words: peanut butter.

9. We are very sensitive to our surroundings, whether it be the people we're around or the situation we are in the midst of. Change is hard, and it takes us a little longer to adapt - though we always do!

10. We love being around others, but we are most comfortable and happiest when we're with our best friends.

11. When we put our mind to something, we don't stop until we've reached our goal (though for Claire, this mainly has to do with chasing squirrels out of our yard).

12. We're each other's favorite.

scenes from a sunday stroll.

My friend Carrie and I have tried to make plans to take Claire and Tucker hiking for the past two weeks. We cancelled the first weekend because it rained, and we cancelled last weekend because we were both so tired and needed some downtime. When 11am rolled around this morning, I texted her to gauge the "level of laziness." Not only was she feeling up to it, but our friend Patrick was too, so he brought Rylee along also. It was quite a happy reunion for the three pups - lots of jumping on each other, lots of kissing, and lots of tail wagging! We did three different trails and let the dogs play in the river, and it was gorgeous out so it was the perfect way to spend the afternoon! We'll be hiking one of the longer trails next weekend, if the weather's nice, so I'll try to get some more pictures while we explore. Maybe it's even time for an updated picture of me and Claire together?!

speaking in code.

I follow a lovely blog called "Something Wagging This Way Comes" (I'd link to it, but I am blogging from my phone and the app doesn't allow that - but google it because it is worth it!) and one of the most recent entries was about speaking to your dog so that they don't understand you. It's much like how parents talk to other adults when their kids are around. Words become spelled out or spoken in some kind of code. My friends and I have to do this a lot with our dogs - what can I say, they're all really smart!

Claire starts looking around frantically when someone mentions squirrels, so you have to call them SQ's when she's nearby. You definitely have to spell the word "bone" or she goes on alert and sits in front of the refrigerator, waiting expectantly for you to get one out of the freezer for her chewing pleasure. She sits by the front door and waits for you to get a move on when someone says "walk" or "school", so we all have to spell that out too. I can't mention her friends' names (particularly Tucker, Sooki, Asya, and Chase) or even some of my friends' names (especially Carrie, Brianna, and Amy) or she will go to the front window and wait for them to show up - you have to just refer to them as "pals." And if you are talking about treats or snacks, you have to refer to them as "delicious food" or she will instantly go through a plethora of tricks in the hopes that she'll do something that will allow her to have one.

What are some code words that you and your friends or family use around your dog?

140 characters of fame.

I'm pretty excited about this shout-out from Thompson Square - even though I publicly admitted that I sing love songs to CBB... (which probably isn't all that surprising, huh?!)

when we don't use our coping skills.

I rarely have to work on Saturdays at my new job, but today was one of those rare times. My friend Carrie offered to take Claire to the park this afternoon when she brought Tucker, and I knew Claire wouldn't mind being whisked away for some time outside. I was wrapping up my last case for the day when I got the following text message from Carrie: "One of your couch cushions did not get by unscathed." Apparently Claire doesn't like when I work on Saturdays either, and she didn't choose to cope with it very well...

a timeless debate: dogs vs cats.

One a month, my girls and I get together to have dinner and talk about life. I absolutely love these sweet friends, and I cherish the time I get to spend with them amidst our busy lives. Tonight was our January supper together, and I found myself laughing so hard that I cried. We got to talking about Claire, and the following conversation ensued:

-- AE: "If you ever need someone to pick her up from daycare, let me know."
-- Me: "Aww thanks! But umm... You don't have a cat, do you?"
-- AE: "No!!!! I love Jesus!! Cats are the devils spawn!!"
[I am pretty confident that Claire would agree. And by the way, Rachel was the only one who was offended by AE's statement.]

Following that conversation, I stumbled upon this fantastic video when I got home from dinner - this one is for you, AE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbycvPwr1Wg&sns=em

'Nuff said.





** To all you cat lovers out there, please note that 70% of me is posting this in jest. The other 30% is completely serious.

a sorry state of being.

It's time for another confession, y'all. And this one is a bit embarrassing for me to admit... Truth be told, I haven't cleaned my car since I bought it. Which was in 2009. Here's the deal...

I bought it on January 2nd, 2009. It stayed clean and fresh through my cross-country move from Colorado to Tennessee. But things went downhill in terms of cleanliness on June 6th, 2009. That's the day I adopted Claire.

Since then, I am sad to say, my car has gathered a plethora of nose prints on the windows, fur and paw prints all over the dashboard, mud ground into the cloth seats, and a faint dog smell that no air freshener can mask. In addition, the center console is broken from bearing Claire's weight while I was driving; she likes to stand with her front paws on it so she can stick her head out of the sunroof. But don't worry -- in the past year, I got her a seatbelt which she wears diligently, so the console-standing has ceased. Oh, and there are treats, tennis balls, and empty plastic bags tucked into every crevice of my car, too.

When I went to Africa this past October, my friend Whitney took my keys and got it cleaned FOR me. Two full months have passed since then, and it has already morphed back to its previous state: dirty. The only part that remains remotely sit-able is the drivers seat, since that is the only place that Claire does not have access to.

Lest you think my house is in a similar state, let me assure you that it is NOT. I like to tell people that the house is mine, but the car is Claire's. And, in my defense, isn't that a typical girl thing? Dirty car, clean house? I'm trying to make myself feel better here, so feel free to humor me by agreeing...

By the way, my dear friend just sent me this email. I get the hint, Rach! Thanks pal! ;)

looking ahead for the new year.

Welcome to 2013, friends! I hope you celebrated in style! True to form, I stayed in and watched episodes of HIMYM before falling asleep early - which, in all honesty was absolutely perfect and just what I needed! Today, however, was filled with fun and friends and (lots of) food, so Claire and I both did our fair share of celebrating!

I've been thinking lately about this blog and how much it has changed over the past few years. When I started out, I really had absolutely no idea of what I was doing. Some days I still feel that way, actually. For awhile, I put a lot of time into promoting and giveaways and product reviews and advertising and blah blah blah, but all that brought was a great deal of frustration. Thanks to a good friend, I remembered why I started this blog in the first place: to create a journal of my life with Claire. I want to be able to look back some day and remember all of the fun we've had, all the lessons I've learned through her, and especially all of the love and laughter she's brought to my life. There is enough seriousness in life, and this blog, for the most part, allows me to document stories that counteract that.

That being said, my blogging goals for 2013 definitely include staying true to my original purpose. Others are:
-- less Instagram pics and more professional photos of Claire and friends
-- go to this year's BarkWorld conference with Katie, Neely, Lauren&Paige, Lauren and Joey, and Blake
-- have more people write guest posts and/or start a series
-- create a new design
-- if there is a conflict with blogging time and quality time (with Claire, with friends, with Claire AND friends), let quality time win every time.

What are some of your goals for 2013, related to blogging or otherwise?

little blessings.

Hi everyone, and Merry Christmas! I hope you all had an incredible day filled with blessings! I didn't get to spend the holidays with my family this year (which was so weird), but we talked on the phone throughout the day so it definitely felt like we were together! I did, however, get to spend most of the day with Claire, which was glorious. She even helped me open presents while I was on the phone with my mom and sister. And can I just say how brave my aunt was to send me another new pair of slippers? Claire has a fascination with slippers and can't resist tearing them up. Seriously, in the past three years, she has shredded more than six pairs. You would think I'd remember to put them away so she couldn't get to them, right? Well, I'm determined to keep this pair around for awhile. Of course, I barely got them unwrapped before Claire bounded over and tried to take them from me... I think she has some kind of radar or something, because she is ridiculously drawn to them. I've never seen anything like it. Anyway, not only was I blessed to be able to chat with my family throughout the day, but I also got to spend time with some friends who couldn't go home this year, either. We had dinner and dessert together last night, which was wonderful. Claire was invited too, but I decided that Otis (our houseguest) could use some company while I went out for a few hours of "adult time", so the kids stayed at home ;)

As for a Christmas miracle, I got mine a day late but it was not a moment too soon! I was on my way to drop off Claire at school this morning and had just turned off the highway when I realized that I had a flat tire - and no man to help me, no Triple A membership, and no idea if I even had a spare in my trunk. Thankfully, I was only a quarter of a mile away from Firestone, so I rolled on down the street and pulled in. They didn't have anyone waiting, so they got me right in. Because I hadn't had a chance to drop off Claire at school yet, I asked if she could come in while they fixed my car. The manager was so nice and said that he didn't have a problem with it, so she was really excited to go and make some new friends in the waiting area. And guys, let me brag for a second: she was an absolute ANGEL. She sat quietly right in front of me and I gave her a little puppy massage while we waited. I was so proud of her excellent behavior! Unfortunately, the guys couldn't patch my tire (and I actually ended up needing TWO new ones), so when I realized that it was going to take awhile, I took a chance and called Stacey, the owner of Claire's daycare. Oddly enough, Stacey wasn't completely swamped with work when I called, and she was incredibly sweet to come and pick up Claire to take her to school. I mean, if you're going to get a flat, there's no better circumstance! When I finally was able to make it to work, I was just so grateful for all of the help that I didn't even mind the unforeseen expense!

What did you all do for the holidays? Any Christmas miracles for you?

a guest for the holidays.

One of my childhood friends also lives in Nashville, and while she and her husband made the trek back home to Cape Cod with their adorable seven-month-old baby, I volunteered to watch their dog. Claire and I have taken care of him before - Otis is a sweetheart, and a very handsome one at that.

We usually stay at my friend's house, but she lives southwest of the city and my new job is in the exact opposite direction. Because of that potentially horrible commute for the next week and a half, I suggested that Otis come stay at our house.

He has done extraordinarily well being in a strange place and, once Claire reminded him that she does not like to be humped, they have been getting along extremely well. Otis is usually kenneled during the day, but I couldn't stand to keep him kenneled in my house while Claire has free reign. Wouldn't that be torturous for both of them?! I sat them down for a serious talk yesterday before I went to work and reminded them that, while they are free to play and run around, they cannot eat any furniture or mini-blinds in all of their excitement. A girl has to set some rules, you know? But I was happily surprised when I came home yesterday and found my house (and both dogs) in tact.

Let's just say a prayer that things go that well during the day tomorrow, too... Wouldn't that be terrible if I just spoke too soon?!

the one where i seem like a stalker.

You know that awkward moment when your dog is invited in to someone's house, but you aren't?

I know I've mentioned Claire's friend Rebel before... As a refresher, he is the sweet three-legged dog who often runs around the neighborhood during the day and returns to his home at night. Because he roams, he often meets us at the end of the driveway in the morning and accompanies us on our walks.

Rebel's family has a fenced in backyard, so sometimes I let them in so Claire can play off leash for a few minutes before we finish our walk. The other night, as Claire and I were walking by his house, he bounded around the corner and wanted to play. I noticed that no one was home, but figured that they wouldn't mind if I let Rebel and Claire hang out for a bit. After a few minutes, someone pulled into the driveway. I waved, and when the grandmother got out of the car, I explained that I'm not the Neighborhood Creeper - I often chat with her daughter and grandson if I see them, and they are very familiar with Claire. She didn't seem to have a problem with it, and she even told me that Rebel can come live with us "when [I'm] ready" because she needs to find him a good home with someone who can spend more time with him. Then she said she was going to go put some things in the house and would come back out in a second. Totally fine, right? Well, then she called for Rebel. And Claire. So they followed her, and I figured they would be out in "a second" - literally.

But no. A minute went by. Two minutes went by. Five minutes... And then I peeked in the window. Claire was sitting in front of the eight-year-old grandson getting loved on by their whole family. I mean, did they forget I was out there?! I knocked on the door and collected Miss Claire - who was very reluctant to leave all the attention - and we went home.

I know that she is awfully lovable, believe me, I do. And she loves attention from nice people and sweet dogs. But HELLO. I was freezing out there!!

Maybe they were nervous because I was hanging out in their backyard when they got home. I mean, I guess I can see how that might come across as a little weird and kind of creepy, now that I think about it...

claire vs cat.

In case you don't remember, I drove home for Christmas last year (TN to MA) solely so Claire and I could spend the holidays together. I stopped at my cousins' house in VA to join them for the last leg of the long drive, since they were heading there too.

Unfortunately, their cat Victor wasn't such a fan of Claire. He was relatively indifferent to me (as most cats are), but he made it very clear that it was HIS house and Claire didn't belong. One quick swat to her face with his paw, and she avoided him like the plague for the rest of our time at their house. She wouldn't even enter the room if he was in it; she would peek in and then sit at the door, keeping one eye on him the whole time.

Fast forward to last week. Claire and I went to hang out with Carrie and Tucker who share their house with their beloved Alli Gator - who is, of course, a cat. We are determined to get them to be able to tolerate each other, though we are very obviously still at the beginning stages. Claire saw Alli instantly and was intrigued and on alert. Alli, on the other hand, was very wise and hid under the couch. We got to the point where Carrie could hold Alli so that Claire could sniff her, but Claire alternated between shaking from pure adrenaline, barking, and doing play-bows. We still aren't quite sure (and I don't think Claire is sure either) if her instinct is to eat Alli or play with Alli, but I'm hopeful that we can teach her that cats are friends and not food. Lots of positive reinforcement training and lots of baby steps!

I love this picture, by the way! But poor Alli looks like she is absolutely miserable...