Top 11 Photos (of My Pets ) of 2011

Click it Up a Notch, Click Pray Love, and Nap Time Momtog are hosting a Top 11 of '11 party to show off your favorite photos of your kids or pets. Naturally, I'm sharing some of my favorite photos of my dogs. To see even more great photos click over to the link up to see what other people are sharing.




Here are my favorite 11 photos of my pets from 2011:

1. I love this photos of Nemo. If he had his own facebook account, I think this would be his profile picture.

2. Melanie and Heidi laying in the sun together.

3. Moe chilling on the arm of the chair. He's not really my pet, but he is living with us for now so I consider him part of the pack :)

4. Nemo with his ball. It's his favorite thing in the world.

5. Melanie checking me out while laying in bed.

6. Me and Nemo together. His face cracks me up. I swear he's not as grumpy as he looks.




7. Molly out on the deck. I got my DSLR right before she passed away and this is one of the last photos I got of her. I'm so happy I pulled my camera out and started playing with it right away.

8. Heidi looking very sophisticated. I took this in my kitchen right after I got my nifty fifty.

 

9. Heidi and Mr. T cuddling one Sunday morning.

 

10. Heidi playing fetch on a trip of out of town. The ears. The tongue. You know she's happy!

 

11. Heidi, Nemo, and Melanie all sleeping together. I think this photo actually says a lot about their different personalities.

 

And I'm adding one more photo just for fun. On Christmas I went to visit one of my parents' horses to give him some special holiday treats. He may not be my pet, but since he's my parents' he's sort of like my pet by proxy. I caught this shot after he enjoyed a particularly yummy treat, licking his lips to make sure he didn't miss anything. Horses are basically really big dogs, right?

10 Years Together

Ten years ago today, Mr. T and I had our very first date. We went to Olive Garden. And bowling. It was truly a magical evening.

It still surprises me today that we ended up together. When we first met we were both home on breaks from college. A mutual friend just happened to introduce us to each other. We went to different schools, over four hours apart, so we never thought we'd end up seriously dating. We had about ten days to get to know each other while we were in the same town - neither one of us expected the other to stick it out when we were going to be apart again so soon.

But we did.

Now ten years later we're still bumbling through life together, and I gotta say, it's been a pretty darn good ride.

I love ya T, and I can't wait to see what we'll do in the next ten years.





Want to read how we got married three times? Click here.

Secret Santas Revealed!

So last week I shared that Emily from Our Waldo Bungie (check out her blog, she rocks) had the awesome idea of doing a Secret Santa with a few pittie obsessed focused bloggers, dubbed the Pittie Posse.

The participants for the Pittie Posse Secret Santa are:

Two Pitties in the City

Two Grad Students and a Pittie

That Touch of Pit

Pittieful Love

Love and a Six-Foot Leash

Our Waldo Bungie

And now it's time to reveal who my Secret Santa was!! Drum roll please....


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My Secret Santa was Aleksandra from Love and a Six-Foot Leash!

It was so fun to see a package in the mail from her. She actually used to live really close to me, but has since moved to Mars Austin, TX so her gift had a little farther to travel.

When it came in, Nemo gave it a good once-over to make sure it was safe for me. He's such a gentleman that way.

After he gave it the all-clear, I opened everything up.

A+ wrapping job!

On the inside was a card, two photos - one of Dora the Explorer, one of Sir Chick - a card, and a poster (wrapped in that awesome paw-print tissue paper).

First, I have to highlight the photos. Aleks is a real pro so you know they're good. How cute are Chick and Dora?

I have a real soft spot for Chick...

And the great card...

The real gift du jour though is the awesome custom poster she included:

Aleks told me that Dora insisted on using her signature raspberry pink and Dora gray color combination for it.

When I opened the gift up I was super psyched because I've had a picture with that saying pinned on pinterest for a really long time. It's a nice thick poster too, so it'll really hold up well.

Thanks so much Aleks! I can't wait to get it hung up somewhere!

And since it's reveal day, I can share that I was Pittieful Love's Secret Santa. Make sure you head over there to see what I got for them! (I hear that Knox was pretty happy with it!)

Happy Holidays everyone! No matter what you celebrate - Christmas, Hanukkah, or Festivus - I hope you have a great one filled with love, laughter, and good cheer!




p.s. If you have a sharp eye, you'll notice my new rug in those photos. Those details later (probably sometime in the new year!).

Meet Moe

This little guy isn't a foster dog, but he is staying with us for awhile.

My brother-in-law hit a rough patch and needed a place to stay for a little while, so we invited him to stay with us. Little Moe came along too.

He's a pug mix and has taken the transition to to our house really well. In the beginning we were concerned that Nemo wouldn't appreciate having another gentleman in the house (he doesn't usually like other males dogs), but after lots of short, supervised positive interactions over a couple weeks, he takes Moe in stride now.

Heidi and Moe play like crazy, which is a lot of fun to watch, but I get the biggest laugh out of seeing how Moe, a little dog, acts like a cat when it comes to furniture.

He loves to perch himself in the oddest places - like the arm of a chair - and hang out like it's the most comfortable place on earth.

He's just weird enough to fit right in with our quirky little pack.





Want to know how we introduced Moe to our pack? Click here.

Wordless Wednesday

2011 Recap

It's the end of the year, and that means it's recap time! Can you believe that there are only 11 days left in 2011??

One neat thing about blogging is that it really is an online journal of what's going on in my life. Ironically, I've never been able to keep a "real" diary or journal, but somehow blogging has stuck. Being able to look back and read about what was going on in my life is a semi-surreal experience. When I was going through these old posts I had honestly forgotten about some of the things I posted about and it was wonderful to remember all that had happened.

This year was definitely full of ups and downs. Here are some of the highlights:
 
-- The year started with a bang - literally - when we were rear ended. I don't recommend starting your year off in the same way. While the car wasn't totaled (thanks to some fancy math by the insurance company), it was quite the dramatic start to 2011. Thankfully everyone walked away without any serious injuries.

-- I posted the honest truth about pit bulls for all the world to see. Read it, it's eye-opening stuff.

-- We fostered, and subsequently adopted, Heidi. She soon went on to become a Canine Good Citizen and covergirl. I also shared some tips about how to choose a foster dog and introduce them into your house.

-- I mostly completed the master bedroom. Things in there are pretty much still the same, although the room does have Heidi's crate in there now too. We're looking to "graduate" Heidi from being in the crate in the future so hopefully that won't last too much longer.

-- After bringing Heidi home, we lived in a four dog household for awhile. I shared that it's really not as crazy as it sounds.

-- Unfortunately our four dog status didn't last very long. Molly passed away just shy of her 14th birthday and I shared about how great she was to us. I still think of her and miss her, but I know her time had come. RIP sweet Molly.

-- I posted about my very special dog and how she changed my mind about pit bulls.

-- I shared a very serious photo of me as a child and let you guys ask me anything and I answered in two parts. I had a lot of fun with the ask me anything posts and I may do it again in 2012.

-- I raced for a cure and got to meet some other bloggers in real life (fun!!) (and I can't wait to do it again next year even though I've slacked off on running... again...)

-- I finally paid off our second car, a huge moment for me (and I captured it on film).

-- We got a heart-breaking diagnosis after Nemo had a seizure in the middle of the night and we've been managing his health ever since. No matter what happens, that little guy is getting the best life possible.

-- After a year of saving, I finally bought a DSLR camera and fell in love with it. I bought a bunch of accessories and a great lens to go along with it and completed a 12 week online course to learn how to use it better. I like to think my photos have stepped it up a notch or two on the quality scale since then.

-- We fostered another dog and I shared how it felt when she found her forever home. I started volunteering a lot more in 2011 and it feels great to be part of such an awesome community.

-- On the house front, we bought a new huge sofa that I love and I managed to complete a couple craft projects including a new light, wall art, a mirror, and end table.

-- We also ripped up the carpets in our house and laid laminate floors throughout on our own (I owe you an update on our progress! We're 99% done!)


Of course none of that captures all the great comments you've made and the awesome conversations and interactions I've had with fellow bloggers and readers. I feel like my little slice of the world wide web started to find its voice in 2011 and I can't wait to see what happens next in 2012.

Half Finished Project #3: Light It Up

Continuing on with the parade of half-finished projects in my house, next up we have a light!

A few months ago I shared that I had a hankering to make this light (as seen on Secrets from a Stylist):

Dubbed the "Orb-Lando," the light was named after Orlando Soria, who created it. It's completely DIYable and the full (and hilariously informative) instructions for it can be found here.

Following that tutorial, I started working on one of my own and have it mostly completed. Here's a sneak peek of what I have done so far:

I thought I'd hang it over my dining room table, but after the wire frame was finished I started struggling with what color to spray paint it. Orlando (we're on a first name basis) recommends spraying it because the color of the wire will change over time. I could go the safe route and choose black (or maybe white?) or I could go nuts and be bold and choose a fun color. I like the idea of a fun color, but heck if I know what to choose.

Here's my dining room right now. Remember, that icky colored paneling over the fireplace will not stay that way forever. Ignore that.  

Also, and I think this is pertinent, this is the light that I got to go inside the wire pendant. I went to Home Depot and searched high and low for a big, pretty, clear bulb, but this is the best thing that they had. I think it'll still work, but it's making me lean towards painting everything white.

What do you think? Should I paint it black? White? Orange? Another color?? Feedback would definitely be appreciated.

Once I get the color sorted out, I'll just need to hang the darn thing. Scary, because I hate ladders.

Wordless Wednesday