Just call us the dog whisperers...

It was a very rainy weekend here in the twin cities... Which I think is pretty rare, which also means everyone (the doggies) were especially cooped up. After a day of corralling the beasts, I decided it was time to brave the cold rain and get out of the house.

Our "front door" is actually the back door since our alley is around back. I walked around front to grab the mail, then walked back to the garage and found this old, portly little guy. He just trotted right up to greet me as if it was on his doggy list of things to do that day.

I continued to walk to the garbage can to drop off some trash... he followed me. I looked around the alley to see if anyone was looking for him as he sat and patiently waited... on me. I saw he had tags on and his house was on the street behind us. I hooked him up on a leash and we went for a stroll. 

As I turned the street corner in the rain, he slowed down to a nice moseying pace as if he was enjoying the freezing cold rain. So refreshing. I later realized that we walked a block in the wrong direction, which is why he was dragging his feet. I guess his Minnesota nice way if saying "we're going in the wrong direction". 

As soon as we turned around, he quickly picked up pace. He didn't even need a leash. He led the way a few blocks down and trotted up the front steps to his house and waited at the door. I'm pretty sure he just wanted to go for a walk with a new friend. :) 

“You guys like to be really busy, don’t you?”

I can’t tell you how many times we heard that sentence this week, haha! Just a few nuggets (definitely not all) of our weird week included: a big scare with Bear and a trip to the ER vet, Easter, buying a new car, selling my old car, dealing with some potential buyers who were totally nuts (craigslist of course…), ripping up our yard, and getting a new foster dog. Well, I guess that was actually in ONE weekend.

Last weekend started with some car shopping (for me!) and found the perfect car - my Mazda 3. We had to leave right after the test drive to take Bear to a routine vet appointment for some vaccines. After the vet appointment, we went to dinner to talk about the car and then decided to buy it, which was really exciting! 

My new car :)

We stopped home to grab some things before heading back to the dealership and Jerrod goes “We should bring Bear! He’s been cooped up in his kennel all day”. After I insisted to leave him home, I finally caved and Jerrod put Bear in the back seat. He noticed a bump on his nose, but we didn’t think much of it. We made it about a mile down the road and Jerrod noticed that Bear now had 4 big bumps on his nose. 15 minutes later, his entire face was swollen, his eyes were swelling shut, and we found ourselves rushing to the emergency vet. Jerrod carried Bear into the ER and poor Bear didn’t even look like the same dog. He was wheeled into the back room and of course, his tail was still wagging… typical Lab.

Turns out he had an allergic reaction to one of the vaccines he received hours earlier, which was completely terrifying. After some shots of steroids, a ton of Benadryl, and a half hour later, Bear was eating treats from the technician and seeing pink Benadryl elephants in the lobby, but we were able to take him home. He’s finally back to his normal self. 

I can’t believe how lucky we were and I’m so thankful that Jerrod, for some odd reason, insisted we take Bear with us to a dealership, of all places.

The rest of the weekend was spent ripping up our yard and selling cars. I removed grass, broke up dirt, made a couple flower beds, planted grass (where it should be), and moved stones for a little path way. Now we just need some more dirt, mulch, and some plants. 

We also got a new foster dog, Roxy! She’s a shelter puppy, very skinny, and she was obviously abused, so we’re learning all of her quirks and things she’s afraid of. #1 thing she’s afraid of - BATHS. Lesson learned, do not bathe a new foster dog by yourself. Have you ever seen a dog climb up a wall? I have. Our entire bathroom floor was covered in a layer of water, there was dog hair 5 feet up the wall, I used every single towel we own and they were all dripping, I was soaked, she still has soap probably on half of her body, and I’m pretty sure the neighbors 3 doors down heard this dog screaming. Not my best idea.

See? She looks cute, even half covered in soap. :)

She had a little bit of a rough start with Bear. Bear’s the most submissive, care free dog there is. Doesn’t care who’s in charge, doesn’t care who has his toy… just could absolutely care less. Roxy has been abused, surrendered to a shelter, and only knows to guard everything that’s hers. So imagine dopey, oblivious Bear just waltzing in… it made for a rough first day or two. They get along so well now and they’re always playing tug-a-war together. I think he gets along with her the best out of any fosters so far.

People always ask us how we are able to foster. It’s a lot of time, a lot of work, and a TON of patience. 

I honestly can’t explain how rewarding it is. When we got Roxy a few days ago, she would pee out of fear if you walked toward her with her leash or if you raised your voice at all. She was just terrified of everything. Now, she wags her tail at her leash, she knows how to sit, lay down, come, and she’s learning manners. She now knows her name. She no longer barks out of fear at people outside. She doesn’t guard her toys. I gave her a new bowl of water this morning and she patiently sat and waited for it to be put on the floor and as I was kneeling down, she gave me a kiss on the cheek. She just quietly observes everything we do as if she’s never seen it before… and maybe she hasn’t. There’s just nothing more genuinely thankful than a dog. It’s so rewarding to see that tail wagging instead of tucked under her stomach. 

So. Here’s to hoping that this weekend is a little different than last! Happy Friday! 

Jim Gaffigan!

Jerrod got a couple tickets for his birthday back in January to go see Jim Gaffigan at the Orpheum in Minneapolis. The show was this weekend and needless to say, it was awesome! 

We started with dinner at Kincaid’s in St. Paul thanks to a friend of Jerrod’s and a nice gift card. Then walked around Uptown, followed by Jim Gaffigan. Awesome night! 

The yard

We started to tackle a new project this week… our yard. I’m just taking a wild stab in the dark, but I’m guessing it hasn’t seen much attention in the last couple years. We have tarp, mulch as grass, no grass, and overgrown “flower beds”. 

We’ve both had fun doing some yard work since it’s finally been in the 60’s the past week. Lots more to come! 

The great thaw

Bear and I took a nice long walk along the St. Croix river yesterday, which is about a block from our house. It was still a little frozen over, but I’m so glad it’s getting warmer outside. We can finally enjoy the river and downtown Hudson, which is a 1/2 mile down our street.

We saw a couple bald eagles, some wood ducks, and two loons… not including Bear.

Zach, Angie, & Ellie come to Hudson!

We had some fun visitors and a weekend filled with the St. Paul Children’s museum, Mall of America, Ellie’s first ride and her first roller coaster! So glad they could come out and visit. Bear has been whining and snoozing all day since they left this morning ;)

We're not in the 90's anymore!

Well, okay, the basement isn't, anyway. We've been in our new home for a couple months now and true to form, Jerrod and I had to start ripping something apart. :) 

Also typical of the two of us, we decided to start with (you guessed it) the largest room and largest project in the entire house. Go big or go home, I guess! 

We said goodbye to the nasty 90’s tile and replaced it with the most practical and functional flooring for our basement - waterproof interlocking vinyl planks. Our basement flooded twice in the last year due to a power outage and a faulty sump pump, so we weren’t willing to take any chances with wood or carpet. Tile was the next best option, but proved to be tricky, more permanent, and pricey with our uneven cement floors. The vinyl floor was pretty simple to put together once we got a rhythm down. 

Now for some before and after shots! :)

We learned a lot on this project. The biggest thing we learned was mostly about painting trim. The trim throughout our entire house looks nice and is original with the house (1993), but once you get up close, there are many gaps, huge knots, and it’s poor quality (which we later discovered after it split multiple times). We also learned that you can’t sand and prime enough, which was a very valuable lesson since we’re planning on painting the rest of the trim throughout the house.

So, yes, it’s almost done! All that’s left are very minor finishing touches: door hardware, artwork, wooden blinds, refinishing the lighting, adding quarter-round trim, and some fun furniture projects this summer! 

Just another day in the life!

Anyone who knows us can tell you that we’re always up to something. I guess you could call us busy bodies. Between Jerrod’s multiple car projects, ripping apart and refinishing our new home, and our house being run by foster doggies, our life can get quite crazy. Now that we've bought our first home, I would love to share the randomness that is our life with our family and friends. 

Enjoy!