What's Better than a Dog in a Sweater.

Just something quick and fun for ya on this fine Monday!

Last month my mom knit up this cute sweater for Remy, and sometimes its actually cold enough in the mornings down here to dress her up for her walk! The little pup actually likes it and hops around with excitement when she sees me pull it off the shelf.

And oh sweet mercy, there is nothing cuter than watching Remy go bananas and sprint to Joey when she sees him. Love these two!

I hope everyone's 2014 is off to a great start!

Our Merry Little Christmas.

A little late, but I wanted to share a bit of our Christmas---

Joey worked Christmas Eve to Christmas day, so things were a bit thrown off, but overall we actually had a very nice, quiet Christmas at home, just the two of us. Different, but nice. We had Christmas dinner with some friends and relaxed with some classic holiday movies, and on Boxing day we had a fun date day with lunch out, a trip to see Saving Mr. Banks (after introducing Mary Poppins to Joey on Christmas Eve first), and a surprise from Joey: the Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island! I had wanted to see Christmas lights last year but we didn't make it with his work schedule, so sweet Joey totally surprised me with a free ticket to see them this year.

 We took Remy along--and it was even chilly enough to dress her up in her awesome sweater!

 Not only were there lights, but there was also a place to roast marshmallows and drink hot cocoa, plus other fun activities for little ones.

 After a little barking, Remy got the hang of it and was strutting her stuff as every person under the age of 17 freaked out about the tiny dog in a sweater that just walked by them.

Thanks Joey for taking me to see Christmas lights!

We hope everyone had a lovely, wonderful, happy Christmas holiday!

Now lets bring on 2014!

We're Comin' For Ya, Baby!

Right now we are in the process of packing up the car---in the pouring rain, no less. Why does it always rain whenever we move?? But no rain is gonna stop us because we're goin' home to our baby! After a little stop in Virginia Beach, we'll be picking Remy up on Monday afternoon and we're so excited to see that little tail wagging. Its a funny feeling, leaving Connecticut. We LOVE it here. New England just connects with us and we'd be quite happy to be assigned here in the future. But at the same time, we are so over living in a hotel room and we miss Marley and Remy. Now Marley will just stay with her foster parents since we're leaving for Italy just a week from tomorrow (!!!) and we don't want her to have to adjust all over again, but we'll have Remy for a few days before she gets a new foster family while we're overseas. 

The past couple months in Connecticut have turned out to be so good for us. We've had many adventures and have met some great people that we'll surely keep in touch with. And who knows, the Navy may bring us back together again! I've started a new life project (more details coming soon!), and Joey and I have had some wonderful time together as a family of two. 

So all that's left is to load up the car, go to Joey's graduation, have one final meal at Shake Shack, and hit the road for the south!

We'll miss you, Connecticut!

You Guys, I Miss My Dog.

Can we talk about how much I miss this gorgeous girl? As much as Joey and are loving our time in Connecticut, its just not the same without our fur babies. And yes, I do love Marley so, so much, but there's a reason dogs are man's best friend. Remy has been so good for me as I've gone through doctors appointments and tests and needles and heartbreak. She's always been there to snuggle with me and I think she really does know when I'm sad and need a little puppy kiss. She really is part of the family. And this pup has one heck of a personality. She has so many little quirks that make us laugh or make our hearts melt and I just can't imagine our little family without her. I mean just look at that face---how sweet and spirited is she! While I never want to leave New England I like it so much, I'll be beyond excited to be reunited with my puppy in August.

Annnnnd, I've mentioned to some friends that Remy has this one particular quirk. You see, when she is tired or cuddled up or perhaps just plain bored, she....sucks on her paw. Yes, just like a child sucking on it's thumb, Remy sucks her paw, and I finally got it on camera. My favorite part of this video is, after she's finished she looks away bashfully then back at me as if to say "what? I'm not doing anything weird". That silly pup!

Beach Day With Remy!

Last month we took a trip to the beach at Isle of Palms and decided to take Remy along with us!

I was nervous how it was going to go, especially since she has some excitement/submission issues and pees nearly every time she sees a new person, but that pup did so great! Not once did she have an accident, she barely let out a peep, and all of the people and the loud rush of the waves hardly phased her. Remy loved pattering along the beach and digging in the sand. She would also try to catch in her mouth the water that flung up from her floppy feet as she walked along the edge of the waves. 

We had lots of people talk to us about our little wiener dog---some people were so surprised to see a dachshund puppy strutting around the beach that they would take photos of her as we walked by!

Admittedly, sometimes the strong breeze was a little much for this pup and her ears!

And what's beach day without a dip in the ocean? Lucky for miss Remy there was a little depression in the beach that created a wading pool of sorts, and Remy got to take her maiden voyage and show off her doggy-paddle skills! As you can see below, I'm one proud mama. But please ignore my overly encouraging baby voice...

Marley & Remy Help With the Grocery Bags

The following photos and video are about two months old (at least!), but I've been forgetting to share what these two cooky animals got themselves in to! 

Usually I have reusable shopping bags for when I go grocery shopping, but on those days when I forget to grab them from the car as I head in to the store, Marley and Remy get to enjoy those rustling, billowy bags and the endless ways to wrap themselves up in them.

Don't worry, we don't let them suffocate!

You can still see how small Remy was at the time--still hadn't turned fully red and her snout hadn't "popped out" yet! But now she is unmistakably a wiener dog. Sure do love them both!

An Unexpectedly Delightful Saturday

So all last week, Joey and I had been looking forward to our monthly trip that we'd be taking on Saturday to the temple in Columbia. Its a great chance to take a step back from life and kind of....recalibrate our minds and spirits. Going to the temple helps us better get through some of the things life can send our way.

Well, as we started to make our way to the temple in the drizzling rain, we noticed that the traffic near our home was significantly thicker for a saturday afternoon. And, after a little research, we realized that the Color Me Rad run that had taken place five minutes away had just ended. So, thanks to the color run and the resulting traffic, we got so far behind that we never would've made it to our scheduled session at the temple which unfortunately, was the last session for the day. 

I will admit, I was pretty upset that we weren't going to make it. I had been excited to go all week and I knew that I really needed to be there to help me and prepare me for the coming weeks. But after rescheduling our trip for this Friday and coming up with a new plan for the rest of the afternoon, Joey and I ended up having a quiet, cuddly, just as wonderful Saturday at home.

We decided that on our cozy, rainy Saturday we would make some paninis, one of our favorite things that we hadn't made in quite a while---I'd also like to add that this required us to make a stop at the local walmart (which we haven't stepped foot in for over two months) for bread while still in our church clothes, and we were asked why we were so dressed up.....

Oh. So good.

And apparently, neither of us were in the mood to take some sincere photos.

With the addition of a couple movies, homemade chocolate peanut butter cookies, a little impromptu dancing in the kitchen, and some cuddling with our Remy and Marley, it turned out to be such a great Saturday with my love and best friend. 

And while I'm on the subject----

Guys, Joey is the greatest and I love being married to him. From some of the comments and messages I've received I feel like there's some concern out there that, because I'm frustrated and sometimes very upset about this infertility thing and not being able to conceive right now, that people think I'm completely oblivious to the blessing it is to have Joey and to be married to him, that I'm ungrateful for an amazing husband. Just because both of us want a baby and I struggle with the fact that things aren't going the way we had planned, doesn't mean that I completely forget about my husband and how loving and kind he is. I know that its a blessing to have him in my life. I don't know what I'd do without him or our marriage, especially at a time like this. He gets me through so much and I can't imagine my life without him. I hold on to those special days like Saturday that we get together and I'm so grateful for every moment I get to spend with him. So don't worry about that, friends. We are so happy with each other, and though we have been married a short time, we are stronger than ever and its only getting better. 

All right, enough of the mushy gushy-----have a great Monday, everyone!

Remy Lately

Well my mom and siblings have made a request for more Remy photos, so here I am to deliver!

The little fur ball is 3.5 months old and almost 5 lbs now. She's doing a little better with her crate and potty training, but it is still taking a lot of patience on my part. We do love her even more though. And, Marley is finally starting to assert herself and put Remy in her place, which we were so relieved about, as strange as that may sound! 

Love this little wiener dog!

And we haven't forgotten about Marley--she's got some new quirky habits, and we have the videos to share them soon!

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Also, as Joey and I have gotten into our second week on our modified Paleo diet, I've been working with some new recipes, so look for a couple new things in the next few days!

iPhonography: Life Lately

Happy February, everyone!

Aside from birthday posts, I haven't done much around these parts lately, so here's some photos from the past couple weeks---

Some of the things we've been up to:

• We got Remy! Tomorrow she will be 11 weeks old. She's a spunky miniature dachshund and she's definitely keeping me on my toes! Thank goodness she's getting better at sleeping at night because I was about to lose my mind! Marley has been doing pretty well with the new addition, but you can tell she's still wary. She has definitely become more of a daddy's girl since Remy moved in!
• We shucked oysters...outside....at night...in short sleeves...in January. January, people. This place is bizarre. However I suppose it is nice to skip the post-holiday-winter part and the grey ugliness that comes with it (though I'm extremely sad we missed the snow in Virginia). But if its this hot now, I hate to imagine what summer will be like....!
• We celebrated Joey's birthday with a lunch date to the popular Tattooed Moose, as seen on Diners, Drive Ins, & Dives. We loved our corn dogs, duck fat fries (sounds more gross than it is), and cuban sandwich! Then we headed to the Apple store to get Joey's birthday present, a new iPhone. I also made him his favorite birthday meal: meatloaf with asiago mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus, and a homemade flan for dessert!
• Once a week we go on a date, which usually means trying a new restaurant in Charleston. We have a rule for ourselves that we don't go to the same place twice so that we can try as many places as possible. This month we've tried the Noisy Oyster, Tattooed Moose, the Mellow Mushroom, Charleston Bagels, and a belgian gelato place. After eating we like to take a walk along King Street and check out the cool store fronts.

We hope everyone has a great weekend!

Meet Remy!

Hello everyone---we'd like you to meet Remy, the newest addition to our family!

We've wanted a dachshund for quite a while, and everything was just working out for us to have her, so on Saturday night we drove to Woodruff to pick her up! She's a miniature longhair red dachshund---exactly what we've wanted. Now, we did want to adopt a dog rather than buy a puppy, but after going to the shelter, it looked like that wasn't going to be the best option for us. Our apartment has breed limits and I'm really not comfortable with big dogs, which unfortunately is what you usually find in shelters. We did however skip the pet store and find a nice breeder who had this little darling.

Remy has been a lot of work so far, but she is really a sweetheart, and we're excited for her to take more to her training---and then I can get some sleep! Marley has been adjusting well to the new puppy, but you can tell she's still trying to figure out just what this oversized chew toy is doing on her turf.

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Even though puppies aren't a walk in the park and there's a lot of frustration and work that goes into them, we're hoping that having Remy will help me deal with some of the stress I'm going through right now. I've debated saying anything about it (and won't say much as to not make anyone feel uncomfortable), but I've decided it might be good to talk about it a little and find others who have experienced or are experiencing the same thing in hopes of finding more support through this trial. Joey and I have been trying to start a family (sorry to all those who told us to wait; we just didn't feel that was the right decision for us), but unfortunately have run into some difficulty. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome when I was 15, so I always knew that could be a problem, but last month I was also diagnosed with a Bicornuate Uterus, a defect I've had since I was born that apparently less than .5% of women have (lucky me!), and makes carrying healthy babies to term very difficult, with a high rate of miscarriage, premature birth, and 4x the chance of a handful of birth defects. So basically, its hard for me to get pregnant, and even if it did happen, its not guaranteed that I could actually have a healthy baby. Needless to say, this has been heartbreaking for us, and I've been having a lot of trouble coping with this reality. We've begun the infertility process, and its scary and confusing and stressful (and will quickly become expensive), which only adds to the fear and frustration I feel most days. You never think that anything could stand in the way of having a family, especially when its all you've ever wanted. Joey has been so supportive, loving, and tender with all of this, but with him being gone for so long each day, I get too much time alone to sit and think about everything, which is no good for me. 

So we decided a puppy would be good for me to not only give me something to nurture and take care of, but to also help get my mind off of the trial we are facing---and for the most part, it has. Though my heart still hurts and sometimes its hard to watch so many of my friends experience something I want more than anything, Remy is helping me feel like I have a bit more purpose while we wait for our turn to have a family.

So there it is. I don't plan on talking about it often, but I think it was good for me to say it. I've felt like I can't talk about it sometimes because I feel embarrassed, like there's something wrong with me that prevents me from doing the one thing I should be able to do as a woman (which I guess you could say is true). But like I said, if mentioning it helps me to find more support, then I think its good for me to do so. 

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But anyways, we hope everyone has a fun, happy weekend---friends in Virginia, enjoy the snow for us! We will be having a low key weekend with a date night in and training Remy more!