Photo Dump

A collection of pictures from my phone, both old and new.

1. Bella defending our home from Scar.

2. Such a lady.

3. Spoiled brat. The couch is hers.

4. Lazy weekend mornings.

1. How I plan on sleeping on our upgraded king mattress.

2. K.O.

3. Riley was terrified of us. Broke my dog loving heart.

4. Bribed her with a walk around the neighborhood.

1. Hubby surprised me with fresh flowers on my first day of work.

2. First mani/pedi since the wedding and second one ever. Treat yo' self!

3. Missing my coworkers in their ruby red slippers.

4. First homemade meal in our new house: mock Chipotle bowls.

1. C3PO Hubby at Downtown Disney

2. Last visit to Austin

Silver Lining

After three weeks on the job, I'm finally feeling like I know what the heck I'm doing.

Here's to working hard and taking it one week at a time.

Source: sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net via Min on Pinterest

Mothers and Daughters

My sister had the brilliant idea of putting together a photo shoot for our small little family full of women as an early Mother's Day gift.  She hired a friend from college to take these beautiful pictures of us. Thanks, Daniel Kao, for photos we will cherish for a lifetime.

A Brief Visit

Hubby and I were able to visit California for a few days after settling down in North Carolina. We were lucky enough to have a great dog-loving friend housesit for us and keep Bella company while we were away. Our days were reserved for visiting family members and it was too short of a trip. 

We didn't have enough time to go to Disneyland, but we did the next best thing and went to Downtown Disney. It was a huge tease. The two of us were especially impressed by the upgraded Lego store and their new displays.

I was especially excited to see my niece, Riley. We were so disappointed because she was absolutely terrified of us and refused to come anywhere near us, even with bacon treats in our hands. After a short walk and feeding her some dinner, she finally trusted us enough to come out from under the table.

Our Saturday afternoon was spent at the ballpark watching The Hubby's little brothers play little league baseball. Little league is no joke, people! We were both really impressed by both the dedication of the kids and their parents. What is it about watching baseball games that allows you to eat Cheetos and drink Slurpies without any guilt?

The Hubby's brother was the star of his team, striking players out and stealing bases. 

Bella's brother, Billy, puts Bella's manners to absolute shame. They never have to dog proof the house or chase him when he runs out the door. I actually had to turn the car around yesterday on the way to work because I realized that I forgot to close all the doors in the house before leaving. How ridiculous is that?

Of course I got to spend some time with my side of the family as well. My side of the family had a little photo shoot session on Sunday, which I will share soon. 

On our last day in California, we were able to spend more time with Hubby's mom's side of the family. She had some beautiful and delicious cakes made for the gathering and we had more food than we knew what to do with.

P.S. The Hubby went the entire time sporting a patchy beard. I was not a fan.

A Reminder

You Are Already Home

Head and the Heart Print by The First Snow

It's remarkable how easily we've been able to adjust to living in a brand new place in such a short period of time. The Hubby knew all the routes to the gym within the first week. We've already found our favorite restaurant in the area, a hole in the wall Thai food place with the most authentic dishes. All of our household goods were in their right place by day two in our new house, down to our junk drawer in the kitchen. Bella has figured out where all the trash cans are and digs in them any chance she gets.

I've even started a new job at a local orthodontics office. I'm currently training to be a treatment coordinator/front desk person/safety and privacy officer. It's a lot of information to take in, but thankfully my last job in Texas has prepared me well for all of this. I miss my coworkers and patients immensely and think of them often. 

I miss Austin and all of the amazing food I got to eat every weekend. I miss my friends and hate that I have to make new ones. 

The worst part about moving is learning the area all over again. My sense of direction is absolutely terrible. It's so bad that my husband is in awe of my inability to navigate. It is the reason why I cannot play any video games that do not simply go across the screen in one direction. I still can't find my way to work without getting turned around. It's pathetic, really.

But if that's the worst part of my adjustment period then I really have it easy. Home truly is where you feel love, and my husband and little yellow dog show me plenty of that.

We Moved!

Surprise! We've actually been in a whole new state for nearly a month now! Our time in Texas came to an end when The Hubby received orders to report to Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. We had a good two months to prepare for the move, but it was still so surreal to us.

We had to say goodbye to our beautiful home in Texas along with all the wonderful friends we made during the three years we lived there. 

The movers came to pack up our things. Six hour later we found ourselves in an empty house. 

It was extremely cold on moving day. Thankfully, the packers were kind enough to take my stand heater last so that I could survive. I spent most of the day curled up in a corner of an empty room, fighting to stay warm.

We stayed at our friend's apartment for a week while preparing for our move. The Hubby took advantage of their jacuzzi and the fact that he did not need to get a haircut during his leave period.

The three of us packed up our car and headed east. We didn't know how soon we would be able to find a home to live in or when our household goods would arrive so we packed all the necessities to survive for at least a week.

Our twenty-hour road trip was wet and terrible. We didn't have many opportunities to stop. Bella was always checked for muddy paws before getting back in the car. 

Through a friend of a friend, we were able to find this beautiful home to live in by our second full day in North Carolina. The major selling point of the house is the gorgeous kitchen and hardwood floors.

I mean, isn't it just amazing? The Hubby has done 100% of the cooking since he came home in January as I have been working far more than he has. It turns out that he's a much better cook that I am.

Bella had immense trouble walking on the floors, just like she did in the other house. Thankfully, the problem seems to have gone away now that we are fully furnished.

Moving is absolutely exhausting.

We're planning on purchasing some new furniture to fill the house soon so I'm going to wait to post more pictures of our new home. Come visit us, friends!

Trifexis Time

Once a month, we give Bella her heartworm/flea medication that is supposed to be appealing to a dog's palate. However, Bella absolutely despises her medication and it's always a huge hassle trying to figure out a way to make her swallow the pill.

We've tried the old peanut butter trick, but now Bella just licks around the pill and spits it out. Today, the Hubby was given the task of giving Bella her meds and he noticed her obviously disgusted reaction.

Hubby's 26th

My wonderful husband turned 26 yesterday! He was such a brat that he asked to open his gifts the day before so his birthday was not particularly exciting. I gave him a shirt from our new favorite band, Run River North (previously known as Monsters Calling Home), a video game that he's been wanting, and a box of his favorite candies.

We took quite a bit of time getting an annual birthday hat family picture that I was somewhat satisfied with enough to post. Bella was of course so excited for this that she fell asleep.

Hubby didn't want to have any cake like I made him last year since he's apparently watching his figure this year. Instead, I woke up at 0545 to make him his favorite cookies before leaving for work. I also bought him some ice cream cupcakes as portion control. I didn't have any birthday candles so I had to use a vanilla scented one. I'm a terrible wife!

Here's a series of pictures of The Hubby not wanting any more pictures taken of him.

Happy birthday, Hubby! We love you tons!

Pew Pew Pew!

Guys, my niece is a genius. Can't wait to see her in April!