Dog Days of Summer

This July marks Goober being with us for almost year and a half. He has grown, developed and shaped our lives in oh so many ways:

1. Dylan and I's world revolves around this little guy. Morning, noon and evening we are both constantly making sure he is taken care of before we do anything. Plans revolve around Goobz schedule. We are that couple who either leave early or come late because we had to walk Goobz or get him to do his "business."

2. He is spoiled. He knows it; we know it and none of us care. :)

3. Dylan aka "Dad" is good for taking naps and rough housing. Rough housing involves Goober biting and chasing Dylan's fingers/hand around for hours. After a while it becomes a slap and bite game and yes, BOTH of them participate in these actions.  

4. Goober refuses to do anything else unless I do it with/for him. He literally will not walk with Dylan unless I come too. (sits down on the floor and refuses to budge) He sleeps with me, follows me around and even gets upset when I shut a door on him. 

5. His toys take up half of our house because he sees fit to place them everywhere Mommy and Daddy have their stuff. (Loves loves to bury his rawhide bones underneath Dylan's pillow at night..makes for an uncomfortable "hello" when Dylan gets into bed) His favorite game right now though is to run all the way up the stairs and drop a squishy ball down.  Mommy picks it up and throws it back up the stairs for him to chase. This happens over and over and over again. Now, its much better than the "chase the dog around the house" game, but it still wears you out. He barks too, when you do not get the toy fast enough. 

6. He loves to be outside in our front yard because we have all of this tall, soft grass!! We think he looks like Simba as he meanders through the grass. Everything outside amuses him, but his favorites are the bugs. Preferably live ones. :) The crickets he chases and pounces on as they jump away from him. Beetles, june bugs, bugs w/ wings he knocks around until their wings are gone and then he chases them on the ground. Tries to catch butterflies and moths in the air...yet to be successful in this adventure. The Cicada bugs are the best though! They leave their shells attached to rocks, blades of grass etc. and they confuse him so bad. He cannot tell if the shells are living or dead- takes him forever to get the courage up to touch it and then they break so he gets all upset. 

7. He sleeps in the most uncomfortable positions!! And he dreams! It is hilarious! His legs look like they are running and he grunts, whimpers, whooshes air out of his nose etc. 

8. Total "Curious George". Every nook, cranny, space he can wiggle his body into he will. He also thinks he needs to be doing whatever Mommy and Daddy are doing, or at least looking at the same thing. 

9. He talks. Really and truly! Walk in the door after being gone a while, ask Goobz how his day was and he will start moaning, groaning, whinning, whimpering etc. The more you ask, the more pitiful the noises become. He does this with both Dylan and I and we think it is hilarious. :)

10. He is finally healthy!! After our awful GI problems in April, we switched his food, treats and bones and have not had any more problems. Went for his yearly check up and everything was how it should be. And yes, he still weighs a whopping 10 pounds. 

11. Goobz is way smarter than he looks. He knows the sounds of all kinds of words; some words we wish he did not know. :) Now, whether he chooses to obey and listen to all of these words is up to him and some days, he has very selective hearing. :) Typical male... *wink wink*

12. If you let him, he could become the Energizer Bunny. Sometimes I will walk him at least 3 miles and none of it will phase him. I'm tired and want to go home while he wants to go another round. (Our neighborhood is all hills btw)

13. He is still not super friendly, but is getting better. Goobz does pretty well with females, but still very skittish around males. We cannot tell if this is something that lingers from his days before we rescued him or if it is because I coddle him too much or a combination of both. 

14. We spend more on preparations for Goobz when we go out of town than on ourselves. I also call and check up on him while we are gone too. It's bad... I know! 

15. There are many, many more things but at the end of the day, Goobz makes Dylan and I laugh so much. He causes us to smile all the time, and most importantly, he continually teaches Dylan and I about love and forgiveness. No matter the tone of your voice, no matter how long you are gone during the day, no matter if you forget to give him a walk or treats, he loves you. This little guy has love for both of us that just spills over 24/7; so in turn, we take his love, give it back to him and remember to show it as much as possible to each other. 

Keep on tryin' till I reach my highest ground

"God is gonna show you higher ground" -Stevie Wonder

About a year ago, Dylan discovered a new hobby very popular in South Texas area: Climbing. As usual, he spends countless hours researching techniques, watching videos on-line and practicing roping techniques at the house. We were fortunate enough to have him win a random outdoor contest in December, giving him oodles of  free climbing gear which is a good thing because this stuff is expensive!

So many people climb down here that he could basically go anytime he wanted but for the past few months a solid group of guys from dental school have been climbing on Sundays. I went once or twice, and I can climb. I just don't enjoy it. It really tears up your fingers, but more importantly, I think it's more of a guy thing. Begs the question of "am I enough of a man to get all the way up that wall just by my sheer brute strength?" Little too Neanderthal for me- hehe! It is also very technical and requires you to visualize the route you want to climb. Good spatial skills are a must and well, I lack those in large quantities! Dylan loves it though and that is all that matters! 

Here are some pictures of Dylan and his periodontist friend Greg climbing at Medicine Wall off east 1604 and Stone Oak area. (Greg's brother John took the pictures)

Drs. Greg and Dylan

Why so serious?! 

I don't think Dylan has enough gear on... :)

4 Beautiful Years Together!

July 12th, 2012 marked Dylan and I's 4 year wedding anniversary- amazing how time flies!! Truly incredible when I think of all the many accomplishments and challenges we have weathered these past years- and we are only 26 too!! Amazing what all you can do when you put your mind to it and have the best help-meet in the whole wide world!

Looking back.... we met first day of college, Aug 2004, at Abilene Christian University (Go Wildcats!) and have been together since. Courtship took place solely at school since we did not live in the same state. Pretty sure Dylan met my parents for the first time AND had to ask my dad if could marry me- darn brave if you ask me!

Proposal was a magical December day in Fredericksburg. Engagement pics in Austin were crazy! Multiple outfit changes, multiple locations and of course, it was hot that day! But, they all turned out great and I was beyond pleased with all of the shots the lady took! The wedding occurred in Abilene at Willow Creek Wedding Chapel. (Literally an oasis in Abilene because this place is pretty! Trees, grass, water- who knew right?!) Our pastor from ACU, Kevin O-Banion, officiated. We both had absolute love and support from our families and so many, many friends. It truly was the best feeling in the world for both of us to turn around after the ceremony and see that wedding chapel literally PACKED with people- standing room only!! My mother-in-law and her family catered our wedding with yummy food, and my parents sent us on a truly, truly fabulous honeymoon to Maui and Oahu, Hawaii.

Fredericksburg Proposal Day

House Pictures: July 5th-July 12th

1st move in day

Entry way as seen from 2nd floor

Yay Texas!! 

Home is where the heart is

Hurray for internet again! I am not someone who uses internet 24/7 but after a full 7 days of not having any, I was beginning to go a little crazy. :)

The house...is beyond fabulous! It is everything Dylan and I hoped it would ever be, and we both know this whole process happened only because God made it so. It all overwhelms us quite often, and makes us beyond grateful for what all we have been given in such a short time. I honestly cry every time I start to think about it all. :)

Our dear friends Zach and Leah moved out of the house on July 2nd... with a week old baby girl. They are both Superman and Superwoman as far as I'm concerned. Dylan and I moved everything from the storage shed (around 40% of stuff) into the garage Monday evening. Tuesday we moved everything from apartment (around 5%) into garage. The rest of our stuff was already crammed into the dining area of the house because Zach and Leah were gracious enough to let us move our stuff in while they moved out. Bought supplies and furniture during 4th of July sales. Cleaning people came Thursday early afternoon and we entered to stay right after work Thursday. If you know Dylan well, then you know that once he gets an idea into his head or wants something done; well, it happens NOW. He wanted most of the stuff from the garage and the dining room distributed around the house that night so what did we do?? MOVE stuff until about 1 a.m. that night. Soooo worth it though! 

We have spent the 6th through the 11th getting the house put together. And it's ALL DONE!!! :) Thank goodness too because I have never worked so hard in my life...literally. Pack, unpack. You think you like the furniture here and then you just want to try it over in this other spot. You move something upstairs and then realize it looks better downstairs. You make a mess so you clean and then make another mess in another spot. You get an idea in your head so you start a new project but then while working on said project another idea pops in your head, so you quit the first project midway to start another one. It's madness! And it just goes on and on and on. My body and mind went to bed exhausted every night; way more than when I lecture 6 class periods a day and stand on my feet for 8 hours straight. We both hurt and were sore in places you did not know you had and never have I appreciated those people like my father-in-law who do physical labor 8-10 hours a day for their job more than I did in those 5 days. Also, for 2 people who worry about getting their workout in each time, well let me tell ya; that was NOT necessary during those 5 days. Worked way harder at the house than I would at gym. 

Goober did very well with everything but it helped that he already knew the house. He did go looking for Luna (Zach and Leah's dog who was his girlfriend for all platonic purposes) the first day but after that no more. He absolutely loves the deck in the mornings and evenings. He has to "check the perimeters" as my mother would say, and he also loves to lay under the shaded roof and oversee the backyard. He also sits under covered area and watches the rain- strange little guy. It has been raining so much since we moved into house and he wants to be out on the deck almost every time it does. He also LOVES the stairs! He runs up and down them so many times a day. Drops his toys down the stairs to watch them bounce and then runs down to get them, repeating the process so many times it makes me tired just watching him. He has hidden bones everywhere possible both upstairs and downstairs so beware when you come over- you will probably sit on one or feel it under your feet. We can hear him run around upstairs hiding them and playing with his stuff- too cute! The best was when we put our bed together with our sheets and finally slept in our bed after 2 months of sleeping on random furniture. I swear if you believe dogs smile (which I fully do!) then Goober had the biggest smile on his face that night. Plus he bounced around on it forever!! He slept right next to me, like he always does, but I'm telling ya that little guy gave sighs of contentment and was just a happy puppy. The neighborhood is great too! Goobz is already back in shape from walking these hills twice a day. And yes ! Whole neighborhood is hills so it makes training easier too! Been running the hills and hiking a lot since we moved in because despite it all, cannot forget about our mountains! 

Adjustments to house since moved in: painted master bathroom beautiful, soft green (Wasabi green to be exact) with help of one of my former students. Green is complimented with chocolate brown towels- very pretty! Shower is super cool- has no door!! Very European looking and I just love it! Changed front door handles from gold to burnished silver. The house is grey stone with dark grouting but there is all this gold in the house... looks bizarre so we are trying to change that as much as possible. Trimmed all bushes, shrubs and trees in front and arranged new potted plants. Bought pretty mocha sectional couch with wrought iron/wood coffee table for living area from Ashleys during 4th sales- received really good deal on it by the way and excellent delivery service. I am a huge fan of the store!!  Bought a HUGE Texas star to go above the garage..hoping to get a Texas flag soon. Next major project is to sand and stain the front door, but that is something that will take a few days, so we are waiting until Dylan has a Saturday off to get that done. Its a strange light brown color when once again, rest of house is dark so we are going to change it to Dark Walnut coloring. Many other houses in  neighborhood have that look and its really pretty! Am not looking forward to that process but cannot wait to see the finished result! We are not buying anything decorative for house for LONG time so I am having to get very HG around here and those of you who know me know I'm not exceptionally crafty but so far, so good! Amazing what you can do with limited amount of ingredients! Our colors are soft shades of brown, green, red, beige and yellow, all complimented with wrought iron and wood furnishings. Each room has something from Paris in it because well, Paris is my other home and I'm just obsessed with French culture and design during Louis XIV up until Napoleon (1600s-1815)!!!  My in-laws got me this gorgeous wrought iron Fleur de Lis for my birthday and I have been waiting forever to place it in perfect spot in new house- Mission accomplished!! Except for Dylan's study, which is full of mountains and nature. I had to give him one room eh?! DONT WORRY! He has an entire garage to outfit as his "Man-Cave". No cars inside...just full of bikes (4), gear, tools and whatever else goes in a "Man-Cave." I don't ask questions or peak in there too often... hehe! :) Deck and backyard will have more tropical feel because of the view Ex: Hawaii and the Caribbean. Dylan told me he truly did not care how I decorated, so long as I did not clutter up the place or the walls. I felt those were extremely reasonable requests and have obliged! Team Carey all the way!! 

Backyard is massive and needs overhaul big time but that's not in the cards for a while so we are leaving it "a natural." It's gorgeous- just incredibly and massively overgrown. Goober is NOT allowed in the backyard until we fix it because it is home to many many bugs and allergies and animals that he does not need to be involved with. You walk out the backyard gate though and encounter a tree swing and a small river in front of you, plus walking trails and green belt access half mile down the way. The view from the deck is the best though...green as far as eye can see. Total privacy too; no one can see into our backyard or deck area and we cannot see them either. From living in the medical center for the past 4 years, Dylan and I very much appreciate the quiet and privacy we have here. 

Work traffic has not been that bad. I think our move adds around 10 minutes to Dylan's work commute. Positive is we live one light down from I-10, main interstate he needs whereas in old house we lived like 5 miles from interstate. I am currently not at work and not planning on going to work until they call us back on contract time so could not tell ya what my commute is like. :)

I know everyone is anxious to see pictures but I hesitate to put them on here because they will not do house justice, mainly because I stink at taking indoor pictures but I will post a few. 

Huge, huge thanks goes out to everyone who helped make our move, starting back in April when we sold the first house to now possible! Dylan and I could not have done it without any of you EX: men who moved our heavy furniture, realtor who helped us clean, friends letting us stay with you or leave furniture with you, students for helping with Goobz and help paint, parents for prayers and so many more. We thank God for all of you!!!