Furry Friday: Kindergarten

With all the back to school posts running rampant on Facebook, it got me thinking that if Riley were human I'd have a full-fledged Kindergartner on my hands this time next year.  Can you believe it?  He'll be five this coming June.  To me he's still a pup.  I can remember the first day we got him and the long ride home with him on my lap.  When his red loofa toy was as big as him.  How my heart felt like it would break every time I left the house because he would cry. Where does the time go?

Over the course of four years there are things about Riley that have definitely not changed and then there are other quirks, so to speak, that have become more pronounced.  Things that presumably will always be the same: he wants you to be in the same room as him while he eats; he loves to snuggle with his mommy in the mornings when daddy is showering; he loves to chew his bone in bed but wants daddy to hold it; and sitting on the back of the couch to look out the window will always be his favorite past time.  Quirks which have definitely become more pronounced:  his distaste for any other animal on tv is cause for full scale attack mode; tub time becomes a new game of hide-and-seek where treats have to be present to coax him out from under tables and beds; and bed time is 9:00 sharp or else he becomes a whiney over-tired toddler with a temper tantrum.  What can I say?  He's a creature of habit and I love him all the more for it.

What are some of your pets quirks that have become more pronounced over the years?  Reminisce with me.

Reminiscing

This time last year I was in a bad place.  Well, technically speaking a good place location-wise but a bad place in my life.  On year ago today, I was on vacation in Ocean City N.J. with friends at a gorgeous condo just a few blocks from the beach.  It was just what I, or should I say we, needed.  Only a few weeks beforehand my husband and I were finding out that our very first year of marriage was truly turning out to be the most trying one (save your "I told you so," trust me, I know).  After being together for ten years we really didn't think any surprises would be in store once we got married, but fate has this neat little way of sneaking up on you and biting you in the proverbial arse.  On top of all that, my chiropractor turned nutritionist tells me that my thyroid is slow (no kidding - ice cold hands, hungry all the time, lethargic, low motivation, dry skin, headaches...you get the picture so I'll spare you the rest).  Her genius idea is to try an organic approach and put me on a 21 day cleanse.  Let me tell you, the last thing an already irritable person needs is to be told what she can and cannot eat and especially not right before a vacation!