Breathe and Reboot

This week seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye. Actually, make that the last two weeks. Which is kind of a good thing, seeing as my Coastie hubby is still stuck with his boat in dry dock, only returning home to our new, still-unsettled apartment for all-too-quick weekend visits. (At this point, I feel like I live in New Jersey and he lives in Rhode Island.) His absence is a little more bearable when I'm busy. 

And I have been fairly busy since the movers finally delivered our stuff on the last day of June. Almost every day last week I spent knee deep in cardboard and packing paper, opening and unloading as many boxes as I could. (And, sadly, cataloging broken and damaged goods for claims forms—yippee! Military moves are FUN.) G and I then enjoyed a low-key Fourth of July weekend, with a picnic on our balcony and watching the fireworks from our apartment, before he had to travel back to RI Sunday night. 

When I awoke Monday morning I proceeded to write a laundry list of things to do in the week ahead. (Laundry not being one of them, but in hindsight it should have been on the list.) Now that it's Friday, I'm looking at those scribbled tasks and feeling like I didn't get nearly all the things I wanted to accomplished. Sure, I inventoried all the stuff we have and don't need that can be donated and set up a pickup with the Salvation Army. I researched local vets and groomers and scheduled an appointment for our furbabies to get clean. (Jasper is in desperate need of a bath and a good brushing.) And, happily, I applied to two magazine jobs—which, to be honest, commanded most of my energy and focus the last three days. 

As a result, there are still many boxes left to unpack and rooms to organize and claims forms to submit. Plus, there is so much content I have been planning to share here, including our road trip from Florida to Jersey, our first adventure into NYC, recipe and wedding posts... So stay tuned. But for now, I'm going to hit pause on my stress, pick just one more task to tackle and then be proud of what I did get done this week. 

Sometimes you just gotta breathe and reboot. And when all else fails to quell the overwhelm: Puppy snuggles. Works like a charm.

(Top image of our new doormat from Target,

bottom photo of my little unpacking helper)

Almost Friends

Pupdate: Cali, our nearly 6-year-old Lab mix, and Jasper, our new, spunky 3-month-old Biewer Yorkie puppy are starting to settle into their dog-sibling roles.

Jasper has mastered the art of the annoying younger brother, with his hyperactive and curious personality, his constant "play with me" pleas. Cali is perfectly cast as the aloof older sister, who doesn't appreciate the yipping and nipping for a round of rough-housing at 6:30 a.m., nor is she too keen on sharing her personal space with a pipsqueak.

Nevertheless, after about two weeks together, and considerable work on my part, this undeniably "odd couple" is inching towards "almost friends" territory. Playing together, chasing each other, snoozing on the couch in close proximity... even chewing bones in the same bed the other day! It was such a great moment I had to capture some (read: a lot) photographic and video proof. The moment started with Jasper trying to steal Cali's large, big girl rawhide (naturally), but once I gave him his appropriately-sized puppy bone, everyone was happy.

They are a handful at times—together and separately; yes, even the six-year-old pooch!—but I love my little yin-and-yang fur family.

Puppy Love : Meet Jasper!

Exciting (and adorable) news to share today! Yesterday, my husband and I welcomed a new furbaby into our family. Meet Jasper!

Jasper is a nearly 3-month-old Biewer Yorkie. He's inquisitive, friendly, playful... and a little feisty at times :) But he loves to cuddle, too.

GT and I have been thinking and talking about getting another pooch for quite awhile. And we had been actively searching since moving to St. Pete. When we saw Jasper's happy little face, we couldn't resist—and knew we had found the right match!

Our almost 6-year-old Lab mix Cali hasn't quite warmed up to Jasper just yet. Though she is much, much bigger (and has been around small dogs before), she is a bit afraid and hesitant to interact and, yes, a little jealous. Jasper would love to play with Cali and he has made a few attempts, but Cali needs some more time to adjust to her new little brother.

Last night was our first together, and it was rough and restless—for us and the dogs! Jasper decided he wanted to play, go potty (not always in the correct place), and chew everything he could get his baby teeth on. Sleep was limited from about 1 a.m. until almost 8 in the morning, when he finally conked out in a silky-soft heap of fur on top of one of daddy's old shirts. Ah, the joys of puppy-parenthood.

I'm sure there will be many more potty accidents and a few sleepless nights ahead. But we are overjoyed by the new addition to our lives! We are already addicted to Jasper snuggles.

(I'm sharing many more photos of Jasper on Instagram!)