meet townes

i would love to introduce you all to the newest member of our family, townes! he's a beagle mix and we're so in love.


we met him last friday at dekalb county animal services. we actually went in with a different dog in mind, but then decided to meet the little guy even though he was not in the adoption area (aka not named, neutered, or checked for issues). we couldn't make up our minds so we decided to sleep on it, but first thing saturday morning bright and early we were there ready to take the little guy home. since townes wasn't ready to be adopted without being tested and fixed, we knew we wouldn't be able to take him home that same day and we could have just called them, but we went up there to spend time with him and play. here are some pictures of us spending time with townes and wishing he could understand that we'd be taking him home for good in a few days!








he's about 2 years old and had been in the pound for 4.5 months in a cage with 4 other dogs. he's the perfect size at about 35 pounds and he has the best temperment. he's energetic but also very laid back. he also already knew some basic obedience like sitting and laying! leaving him there on saturday was so hard since we knew we wouldn't be able to pick him up until monday!

we'd been waiting for years to rescue a dog and i really feel like we found the best one for us. townes is going to be so loved and taken care of! we have already fallen heads over heels.

we did get some bad news though on saturday. while at the vet getting neutered, townes tested positive for heartworm. the staff wanted to know if we'd still take him and of course we knew there was no turning back and we would do whatever it takes to get him better. it has really shaken us up, but we're going first thing tomorrow [monday] morning to pick him up and get him into a vet's office immediately. hopefully it's a low level case and he'll be back to being a fully healthy and happy dog in no time. we've decided that if it's worse case scenario, then however long he has left will be in a home with people who love him to pieces and treat him like a king. please keep your fingers crossed for our new little addition to our family ♥

p.s. if you're interested in rescuing a dog, please go to dekalb county animal control. they have over 300 dogs there that really need a loving, forever home. the staff there was so great to work with and were really helpful and patient. please always remember to rescue and adopt instead of going to breeders or pet stores.

up

this image has been the stuff that my daydreams are filled with these days. every day while sitting in an office, where i can't see the outside, makes me want to just go far away - anywhere but here. granted i have a great job with great coworkers and i love our home and life here, but we love to travel and i feel like there's so much more to see and do with our days.

j and i always talk about our future - where we see ourselves living, traveling, and what we would love to be doing. sadly we are nearing our 30's and still don't really have an idea of what those things are just yet. is that normal? will the unrest of the unknown ever go away?

i do truly believe that being happy starts within yourself and that the perfect job, spouse, or city won't make your life suddenly better forever, but at least wherever we end up (even if we stay in our current house always) i'll know i'll always have my j with me ready to explore and inspire me to find my way.

p.s. i may have some big news in the next few days. stay tuned!

[p.p.s. if you love hot air balloons, see this post]

baggu? yes please!

i've always loved baggu and their alternatives to plastic bags (see a previous baggu post here).

they have these new duck bags that i think are absolutely fabulous! they are canvas and come in so many colors. this would be perfect for a purse/ grocery bag. love!




i also really like their backpacks. they'd be perfect for a trip.




make sure you check out their site for more bags (including the cute zip bags and produce bags that i'm convinced i need)!

snowpocalypse

although we took a lot of photos of the snow last week - they were mostly taken with our camera and i haven't uploaded the pictures yet. in the meantime, here are some pictures that j took with his phone. you'll have to excuse the darkness, but it still gives the idea of the snow coverage.

on saturday, natalie came to spend the night. we decided the snow was finally ready to play in (initially the sheet of ice on top of the snow made it a bit difficult). we had snow ball fights and then made a snowgirl. she wanted a girl so we had to improvise. sadly, we didn't get to really go sledding (next time)!

the snow was very beautiful but i sure am glad to be able to see green grass and drive again! i'm glad we only get snow like that every decade or so.

what was your favorite part about the snowpocalypse?

big jet plane

help me - it's only tuesday. this is going to be a looong week. to help me get through the day, i've been listening to angus and julia stone. if you've never listened to them, it'll make you dream of anywhere but your cubical.

their new video for "big jet plane" is very magical. it makes me want to put on a headress, do crafts outside, and take off to somewhere/ anywhere on a jet plane.


j - we need to book a trip soon. i know you'll agree ♥

mlk jr ♥

happy mlk day! if you have time, please read mlk jr.'s letter from birmingham jail. it will definitely inspire you and remind you how far we've come and how far we still must go.

"darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that" - mlk jr.

"history will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people" - mlk jr.

sorting the shed

a few weeks ago, you know when we weren't blanketed in snow, j and i were working in the yard (i.e., filling over 19 bags with fallen leaves) and we decided to clean out our shed. we had been putting this off for ages and it was getting increasingly difficult to locate necessary items.

here is a picture (bad BAD picture - it was surprisingly hot this day and my lens kept getting fogged up) of the shed before:


we took everything out, swept, and sprayed for bugs (not fun finding the infested bag of bird seed - cringe!):


we had so much uncessary junk in the shed - mostly paint cans that were very old or almost out. we also took this opportunity to make sure we wrote down all of the paint mixes for future use. by the way, we have a whole box of caulk which is insane. it will be good for the spring, when we have to caulk the whole outside of the house before we paint. fun!


here are some pictures (albeit blurry) of the final product! it is much easier to navigate and locate items in the shed now which is so nice. eventually we hope to get a larger shed to store more items so they aren't in our crawl space (yuck).




now i'm really ready fpr spring weather and spring cleaning! and i do really need to tackle my closets and drawers again...

cabin fever

so now that we've been stuck at home for 3 days due to the crazy snow, the cabin fever is really kicking in. speaking of cabins, i wanted to share our trip to asheville, nc for j's 28th bday a few weeks ago. we brought the in-laws as their xmas gift. we had a wonderful time. we stayed in fletcher, nc (which is about 25 minutes outside of asheville). the drive up the mountain to the cabin was a bit scary in my little nissan versa but we made it (although i spent the rest of the weekend scared that my car wouldn't make it back down the mountain).


great view! there was also a hot tub that was great fun on the second night.


j and i were in charge of dinner our first night there and we made veggie chili and jalapeno cornbread muffins. dinner was very yummy and my FIL didn't even notice it didn't have meat in it until he was done eating (pretty impressive eh?)


we all just laid around, played music (that's my ukelele in the background being played by j's sister), watched the movie "the town," and ate brownies and cookies for a midnight snack!


saturday morning we headed into downtown asheville to do some shopping and sight seeing. i love asheville and all of its great shops. everyone has their dogs and there are bluegrass bands playing on every corner (ok - well most corners). we went to the mast general store and woolworth's. so fun.


then we headed to the laughing seed restaurant for j's birthday celebration (it was a mix between lunch and dinner since we had to get back early to the cabin). the meal was great and it was awesome that the in-law's ate vegetarian all weekend!

j opened up his gifts and we had cake on saturday night. he's the big 2-8. i got him surfwise (dvd), a folk guitar tabulature book, a book by daniel quinn, a sweater, and one-line-a-day book. i think he had a great birthday!


on sunday, we were headed home and thankfully my car didn't end up going off the mountain (especially since i had just paid it off last month)!



i am missing asheville and already looking forward to our next trip back. maybe next time we'll go in the summer so we can spend more time outdoors. i miss being outdoors...hope all this snow melts soon!

le jour de l'an

it's 2011 and i'm a bit behind, but part of my new year's goals is to slow down a bit and really enjoy every day so i'm ok with being a bit late.

today we're snowed in (this makes twice this winter which is unheard of in the southeast) so i figure it's a great day to reflect. 2010 was a great year - we took many trips, completed a month of boot camp, hiked the incan trail, accomplished a lot on the house, and celebrated our first year as a married couple. despite all of the awesome things from 2010, i think 2011 will have even more to offer.

my goals for 2011:

• slow down, take deep breaths, and really take in the beautiful world around me
• live a healthy lifestyle - listen to my body more and live more sustainably
• spend more time with my loved ones - family, friends, and j
• stay inspired creatively - this is the one i struggle with the most
• try being vegan for at least one month
• take a yoga class
• learn how to sail
• rescue a dog
• visit my best friend in pittsburgh
• step out of my comfort zone in work

i need to make a 26 before 27 list, but in the meantime, those are some of the things i hope for 2011. one day at a time...