Chance

I know it has been a long time since I've posted, so I hate to come here asking for something. But... our sweet Chance needs your prayers and good thoughts. Almost 4 months ago, we took him in for an emergency spleen removal because of a tumor on his spleen. The tumor came back cancerous, but had not spread to his liver yet. These past few days, he has been acting very lethargic and has lost his appetite. After many tests at the vet, they found out that he has bleeding in his stomach from more tumors. The vet says that it could be a slow bleed, but his days with us are numbered. He could be with us for weeks or even just days. Please pray that our boy can make it through the holidays with us. Brian rescued him as a dirty, starving puppy from a gas station 12 years ago and he's been his best friend ever since. I've only known Chance for almost a year now, but I love this dog like I've known him his whole life. He's my little Chan Man! Chance is a fighter! He's had 5 surgeries in his 12 years of life and he's came through every one like a champ!

Just look at that sweet face! 
Good thoughts and prayers are appreciated. And I promise to try to come back more often not just when I'm asking for something. :)

A Turn for the Best

Blogtember Day 6 (day 1 for me): Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn When I saw that this was the topic for the day, I didn't even have to think about it, I knew the moment (and will cherish this moment forever) immediately.  January 11, 2013... It started out as a terrible day, but that's not what I'm talking about here. It was two weeks until I was supposed to meet him. Two weeks that seemed like they were going to take forever. Two weeks that were cut down to 12 hours. A ride on the airporter to the airport, a long flight delay, a 4 hour flight and there I was coming down the escalator and seeing him for the first time... Almost 8 months ago I met Brian for the first time. I met the man I know God made for me, my best friend, my soulmate, my future, my everything. What started out as a terrible day quickly turned into the best day of my life. I will remember this day for the rest of my life.

Throwback Thursday: First Kiss

I really had no intentions of blogging today. I was just planning on catching up on my blog reading, but then I ran across Bonnie's Throwback Thursday: First Kiss and figured why not. I don't know many people who can say they had a great first kiss. Kissing for the first time is super awkard; does he want to kiss me, do I want to kiss him, do I tilt my head to the left or the right, do I have bad breath, etc. 
My first kiss happened in 7th grade. He was an 8th grader, so I thought I was super cool to be going out with an older boy. My friend, Jill, was going out with one of his friends, so we all decided to hang out at his house one night. Daniel and Jill had been together for awhile, so they had kissed many times and seemed very comfortable having a makeout session. Jill and I had talked about it, and I knew this was going to be the night I had my first kiss. Cory and I were sitting on the couch holding hands when he leaned over and just started attacking my mouth with his mouth and tongue. There was no slow, lets just peck first and see how this goes, he just shoved his tongue down my throat. This went on for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably just a minute or two. I finally pulled away saying I needed to use the restroom. I really didn't think this was how kissing was supposed to feel. I know this was my first kiss, so I had nothing to base it off of, but I really did not think he was a good kisser. I knew I did NOT want to kiss him again, so I avoided his attempts the rest of the night. I broke up with him about a week later. My second kiss was much better... 

7th grade cheerleading picture. I'm on the far right - check out that big hair! 
How old were you when you had your first kiss? 

Friday's Letters

Happy Friday!!! 

Dear Brian... Thank you for being the amazing man that you are. You have turned my life around and I thank you every day for this. It's such a great feeling to look at you and feel so much love in my heart. Dear Amy Schumer... your stand-up is HILARIOUS, however, your show "Inside Amy Schumer" has disappointed us a little. You better be awesome tonight! Dear Taylor Swift... I cannot wait to "dance like I'm 22" at your concert tomorrow. For the most part, I have loved you since "Tim McGraw". You lost me there for a little while, but your newest album "Red" is amazing! Dear Bachelor/Bachelorette... why must you wait until next January to be on again?!? I'm certainly going to miss Monday night wine/Bachelor date nights. Dear weekend... you're gonna be a busy one. Here's hoping I can find some time to relax.  Also, if you have the chance please got here and vote for Tanya. I've known this family most of my life. They are an amazing family and have endured many hardships and losses. Tanya definitely deserves this vacation. It only takes a minute of your time. Thanks! 

Doggie Vacation

Happy Friday!!! 
Brian and I are leaving early tomorrow morning to go to Atlanta. Brian has work meetings there, so I figured I would go along for the ride. More on that next week, this is about Peanut's vacation. 
Anyway, I had been stressing out trying to decide what we were going to do with Peanut. He's a little spoiled and has never been boarded. He usually stays with family or friends when we go out of town. I just can't imagine dropping him off somewhere not knowing if he's going to get much affection and playtime and possibly be in a crate most of the time. This dog has been like my child since I got him 5 years ago, I just couldn't do that to the little guy. Since we didn't really have anywhere else to take him, I reluctantly started looking at boarding places. All of the boarding places that I thought seemed decent were ridiculously expensive. I was getting really upset about the whole boarding thing when I came across a website called DogVacay. You put in your location and the dates you will be leaving your dog and it pulls up a list of dog sitters that will watch your dog in their home during that time. I was a little skeptic of this at first, but the more I thought about it I liked this idea WAY better than boarding. The sitters talk a little about themselves and how your dog will be spending its time there. I searched through quite a few listings and finally found someone who got glowing reviews, was available this weekend and only takes dogs under 25 pounds. We emailed back and forth a few times and I finally felt comfortable enough to go ahead and make the reservation. We drop Peanut off this evening and drop him off Tuesday evening. His sitter has a dog of her own and will be watching two other dogs, so it will be a little puppy party for Peanut. I'm so nervous leaving him with someone I don't know, but I am confident that he will be in good hands. 
His sitter asked for a list of some things about Peanut and this is what I made to give to her. 

Peanut

Chocolate Miniature Dachshund

5 years old

Mommy: Lindsay 

Daddy: Brian 

Brother: Chance (Schipperke mix)

Food: ¼ cup twice per day

Potty breaks: Morning, late afternoon and before bed

1.)   Peanut LOVES to cuddle. He’s definitely a lap dog and is happiest curled up right beside you under a blanket.

2.)   He is very affectionate and LOVES giving kisses!

3.)    His favorite game is fetch. He will chase the ball as long as you keep throwing it to him.

4.)   He might be a little guy, but he will make it his mission to get the squeaker out of a toy in 15 minutes or less.

5.)   He’s very friendly and loves playing with other dogs.

6.)   He is a little explorer. He loves to sniff and mark every tree, flower, piece of grass, etc that you come across.

7.)   He loves mommy and daddy and will probably sit at the door for a little while waiting for them to come back.

8.)   He likes to work on his tan in the morning. He will find any little sliver of sunlight he can to lay in.

9.)   He is protective and gives a little growl and barks when he hears doors open, knocking, doorbells, etc. We tell him “no barking”, so feel free to let him know it’s not ok to bark.

10.) He loves treats and can sit up and roll over if he knows a treat is coming his way. He’s not too good with “sit” though.

11.) One of his favorite things is having his head scratched.

This is our first time ever leaving Peanut with someone we don’t know, but we know he’s going to have a great time with you and the rest of the pups. Thank you so much for opening up your home and taking the time to care for him. We are confident that he will be in good hands and might not even want to come home when we pick him up. Thanks again for letting Peanut join the puppy party!!! We will be back to Tuesday evening to pick him up from his vacation. 

Happy weekend!!! I'll be back next week with a full recap of our (and Peanut's) mini-vacay!

Weekend Update

Is it really Monday again already?! Boooooo!!!! 

This weekend was such a great weekend! I am so sad it had to end!!! 
Friday, we went to Wasabi Cafe with some of our favorite people, Sheyla and Brian. We filled ourselves full of sushi and thai food, drank way too much a little wine and toasted to Maash Boutique having over 300 followers on FB. Speaking of Maash Boutique, if you don't like this boutique on FB you totally should! Such cute stuff and very affordable!  We always have such a great time with Sheyla and Brian and always look forward to the next time we all get to hang out. 

 It's a Bri-mance

Love her!!! 
Saturday, I stopped by Maash to do a little shopping then Brian and I headed to Costco to pick up some things. That night, we made a seafood feast of lobster, shrimp, scallops and veggies. It was soooooo good and less than half the price we would have spent going to a restaurant (thank you Costco). I love date nights at home!!! 

Sunday, we went to Brian's nephews 11th birthday party. It was supposed to be a pool party, but Mother Nature decided it should only be about 65. Of course, the kids still got in the pool and had a blast. I, on the other hand, pretended I was 10 years old again and had too much fun doing back handsprings and tucks on the trampoline. Note to self: You are not 10 years old anymore, you will be VERY sore the next day!!! 

I hope you all had a great weekend too!!! 

Friday... Oh how I love thee

Friday... I seriously love you! Where have you been all my life?! 

For some reason, I have been over this work week since Monday. It's been a busy week and I'm exhausted!!! 
Monday, I went to my first Chicago White Sox game. We lost, but it was still really fun! At least the two runs we scored were home runs, so I got to see some fireworks (and we had great seats). 

Tuesday, we went to Goose Island brewpub for dinner and drinks with Brian's sisters and their significant others. It was a great time! We are quite the rowdy bunch! At one point, Brian threw his sister's sock across the room. Yes, we are those people! 
Wednesday, I had a work happy hour at ZED451. I am pretty much in love with that place now! The ambiance was so cool, the appetizers were amazing and the drinks were delicious! Also, I have the best co-workers, so it was really fun getting to hang out with them outside of the office. 
Thursday, I was very productive after work. I cleaned the apartment, went to a super fun fitness class called WERQ and did laundry. 
Tonight, we have dinner with one of our favorite couples at Wasabi Cafe. It's All You Can Eat sushi for $20.95 and BYOB, what more can you ask for? 
I've been super motivated to workout since getting my Polar FT4 watch, but more on that next week! 
How was your week?  What are your plans for the weekend?