Back Up and Rewind

I want to take the opportunity to rewind back to my last post and fill in the details that I've only touched on so far. My last week and a half has been BUSY! With parenting, puppy training, and some big family celebrations all mixed together - I've been nothing short of exhausted! It's all great life stuff, just a lot at once!

The Puppy: Two Fridays ago, I was birthday shopping for Ben (all by myself) when I passed a sign for Shih Zu puppies. We'd been toying with the idea of getting a puppy for a while... visiting pet shops, researching breeds, etc. Shih Zu's were actually recommended to us when I described my criteria for a dog - hair not fur, small, not clingy, not shaky, does not dig - you get the picture. I wasn't sure I was crazy about the recommendation at first because I was not sure that I thought Shih Zu's were cute, it turns out that they really are cute as long as you don't buy them a ridiculous hair cut. Trust me when I say this, "I will never buy this dog a ridiculous hair cut!" So anyway, I called the number on the sign and arranged for Ben and I to visit the puppy later that night. My parents agreed to keep Evie because I wanted to have an easy "out" if we decided the dog wasn't a good fit for us, even though I was nearly certain I would get sucked in immediately. Needless to say, I did get sucked in immediately and that is how we came to buy a puppy the night before Ben's birthday - happy birthday Sweet Heart ;) Ever since, I've immersed myself in puppy training - reading tons of articles, watching The Dog Whisperer, doing everything I can to give off the impression that I'm a "pack leader"... you know. I can honestly say that it's going well, I'm confident he's going to be a good companion for our family. As I mentioned before, we named the puppy Mr. Bingley, after one of my favorite characters in Pride in Prejudice. I think it fits him well and I hope he'll live up to his sophisticated name! Here is a little Shih Zu history for you... Shih Zu's were bred to be palace companions to the ancient Chinese royals, that's why they have a reputation for being subdued and polite. They were first brought to Europe in the 1930's (surprising I think - I would have imagined some explorer bringing them back in the 1400's or something!) and they were first brought to the States in 1945 by soldiers who adopted them prior to returning home from war torn Europe. I love that last fact! Training a dog (correctly) is totally new for me, but I'm honestly enjoying it as a new hobby (not that I'll continue to adopt puppies after this - I won't - this is it - honestly!)

Ben's Birthday: My sweet husband celebrated his 27th birthday two Saturdays ago. Ben loves Japanese steak houses and sushi, so we met both sides of our family for lunch at our local Sushi Rock, it was really great because they could fit all 12 of us at one hibachi station (where they cook in front of you). After lunch, my mother-in-law baby sat our girls so that Ben and I could go to the movies alone... three words - it was great! We then ended Ben's birthday night with a double date to our church's annual Daddy Daughter Dance, Ben took Evie as his date and I went with my own daddy. It's a really sweet and special event that we always enjoy. We're looking forward to the day Anabelle is old enough to stay awake late enough to come! Here are a few pictures from the dance...A lot of other stuff has also happened in the last week and a half including... meeting my friend Erika's new baby, and attending Brittany & Rob's wedding in St. Augustine. In other words, I'm so behind on blogging... stay tuned!!!