To Love A Dog...

My whole life, I've been surrounded by pets. Growing up, my brother and I had dogs, rabbits, pigeons, cats, hamsters, fish, etc. You name it, and we probably had one, at least for a short amount of time. My family quickly discovered, our love for dogs and had a few breeds over the years, including; a couple of mix breeds, two dalmations, and a yorkie. In 2005 though, I discovered my love for Shi Tzu puppies and just HAD to get one! I begged and pleaded but it never got me anywhere due to the fact I was back in my parents home after a move to Little Rock. And then, one Sunday, I had the best surprise!

My husband, whom I was dating at the time, and I were headed to make an offer on a home in Sherwood, and we caught sight of the cutest, sweetest Shi Tzu puppy I had ever seen, lost in the middle of the street. Of course, I had to pull over, and when I did, the puppy ran over and jumped in my car!! (Josh argues with this point, but I beg to differ. Putting his paws up on the frame of the car, for a puppy, is the same as jumping in, as far as I am concerned!) I asked around, but no one knew who he belonged to, and therefore, he joined us at the realtor's office. The next two days, I attempted to find an owner, and finally got a call that Tuesday. After returning him to his rightful owner, Josh offered to purchase the puppy from them, and well, the rest is history!!

Max instantly took over our lives and our hearts!! His unique little features and ecstatic personality made us love him even more, and even today, I don't know how we got so lucky to find such a wonderful dog!! Everyday we spend with him is a joy, and we can't imagine our lives without him!

For those of you , non-dog lovers... I understand this may be a little over the top, but to love a dog is so much more than I ever expected. I've always had a liking to my dogs in the past, but it's something different. They were always the family dog, the outside dog, or most recently mom's dog. This time, Max was MY dog. I had the responsibility to pay for him, care for him, and ensure he had all that he needed. It's definitely been worth every minute. I wouldn't give up a moment I've had with him and hope for many more happy memories with my dog, my Max!!!

The faces he makes...

I've never seen anything so cute!! I just love the way Matthew looks around the room like he owns it... (which he does)!! He was so alert and wide eyed Sunday morning, I just had to get a few pictures and share.

Proud Aunt!!!

How could I be any more proud?! I can't believe how sweet and wonderful my new nephew Matthew is, and how much I love him already!!! My time at home was busy and went by way too fast.... but thankfully I got to hold "my friend" (as I called him) for most of the weekend!! Matthew (and mom, of course) even picked me up at the airport on Friday night with my parents, and I was hooked, instantly!! I can't believe how someone so little, could steal my heart so quickly!!

The weekend was fabulous, even with the full house and sleeping on a sofa bed. On Saturday, my sister-in-law and I found some time to get out of the house for pedicures and haircuts... we also got to see the new house where my brother and her will be living in the next week or two. Sunday was great as well. Mom and I headed out to shop around noon and had a relaxing lunch after. Then it was off to the airport to head back to Texas... and that's another story in itself. I've never had as much trouble with an airline carrier than I did this weekend. But we won't get into that!!

My new nephew...

I'm so excited about this upcoming weekend. So far, I have only seen pictures of my nephew, Matthew Daniel... but Friday, I will be flying out to Little Rock to meet him in person!! He was born April 8th at 6:31am, and ever since, I've been dying to get back to Arkansas!! The only thing I'm not looking forward to is a FULL HOUSE (and sleeping on a sofa bed).

My brother and sister-in-law are in the middle of a move and have not closed on the new home yet.... therefore, they have taken up residence at my parents house! SO... While I'm there this weekend, I'll get to experience what it's really like to live with a big family (and an infant)!! I'm sure I will have lots of stories to tell when I return!

New blogger...help!

What have I gotten myself into?? Everyone in Texas says that blogging is the way to go... so here I am! And obviously, I have A LOT to learn. (I'm definitely counting on Cheryl for assistance in this area.)
My husband, Josh, and I recently moved to Keller, Texas and are still getting a feel for the area... but so far, things are really great in Longhorn country. We absolutely love our neighbors and could not have picked a better neighborhood. Josh is now working for JP Morgan Chase as a personal banker, and I am employed with GMAC as an acquisition analyst. We really are blessed that everything is working out for us here, and look forward to all that Texas has in store for us!!