Lunch Date

On Weds, James suprised me and took me on a lunch date to In-N-Out. Usually we don't see each other during the day and it was so nice to spend time with him outside of driving to and from work or before we go to sleep. Thanks hun for the suprise it was great! Love ya.

The Beast

At the risk of looking a bit obsessed, here is another post about Cocoa.

First off check out the resemblance of the two creatures. One is our nine month old puppy. The same puppy that passed obedience school and will sit on command. The other a lioness that resides at the local zoo. Both look calm and peaceful while sleeping. Both look like they would not hurt a fly. Both are very different when awake. Let me set the scene...

James and I drive up to our house after a long day at work. We both are tired and happy to be getting home to relax. I walk in the house first and look out the back door, expecting the daily routine of Cocoa standing there excitedly waiting for me to let her in. But Cocoa is nowhere to be seen, and then I spot something out of place. Snow? No wait we moved to California, it can't be snow!

I open the back door and notice Cocoa frolicking amidst what I now recognize as the remains of the pillow that used to reside in her pen. Our darling puppy apparently got bored while we were at work and turned her pillow into a chew toy. When the pillow started emptying itself onto the lawn, the considerate Cocoa decided to share the love and drag it from corner to corner of the yard. Who knew that inside one pillow could exist so much fluff? Cocoa was incredibly proud of herself and obviously had fun. We had fluff almost everywhere and are still finding it.

People say that dogs grow out of this in a couple years. Although she sometimes destroys things, we are enjoying it, and besides it could be worse!

What should we do?

This is what I asked Cocoa when I came home from dropping James off at the airport. He was away on a business trip this weekend so Cocoa and I were left to our devices for three days. To combat loneliness and boredom, I installed handles on the kitchen cabinets, swept the floor, scrubbed the tub, dusted the bedroom, cleaned out the fish tank, changed the light bulbs in the bathrooms and then installed the ipod under the cabinet thing (thanks Dad!) we bought in January but has just been sitting on the counter waiting to be drilled in. I was going to try and mow the lawn, but I figured I probably should not try this for the first time unsupervised and where sharp objects are involved. I guess I sort of got carried away but there is something addictive about being productive and I could not stop myself! The best part about it is that James has no idea! I love surprises and I am sure he will be! Cocoa was very proud.

This is also a great time to introduce our new couch and dresser. The couch came from a ward member who was redecorating and we are so grateful! It is very comfy and the perfect size for James and me to lay out and watch a movie. The dresser matches our bed and James' mom has been very nice to store it for us while we were in Utah and then when we were moving in. Thanks Andrea for the extra storage!

Next week I will attempt to tackle the office and backyard and although it has been great doing things around the house, I can't wait for James to come back. This was only our third separation in two and half years of marriage. I really missed him and am happy he is coming home tomorrow!!

Updates

Cocoa and the House
This year has been very eventful. For those of you that were never told or forgot where we went, we moved to California, got jobs, got a puppy and purchased a house. Until now, no one outside our immediate family has seen the house or the puppy, until now....Prepare yourselves.

This picture is of Cocoa the night we got her. We were so young, so naive about owning a pet. She has taught us many a lesson which will come in handy for kids in the future. She is now 52 pounds and as of Monday a certified trained dog (when you have treats). She is spoiled a little bit but not as bad as our parents are with her. Her favorite activities include chasing her tail, going on walks and cuddling with us. She is also a great hunter. To date she has taken down half a dozen birds, countless bugs and spiders and my slippers. She is a great dog.

The House
We haven't taken a lot of pictures of the house yet, mainly because we are still decorating and unpacking but here are a couple of pictures. It is 3 bedroom 2 bath with an open floor plan which means that the kitchen, living room and dining room are all in the same room. The picture of the inside of the house was taken during our second time seeing the house with parents and realtor.

The stuff is the previous owners' and now there are no white walls in the entire house except the closets....what can I say Home Depot had a sale on paint! We will have updates soon.

Newbies

Well we finally did it, we started a blog. There were many steps leading up to this momentus time including buying a house to store a computer which we had to purchase after setting up the internet. Excuse us while we celebrate this huge accomplishment. Moving on.....

Now we need to figure out how to work this thing, upload pictures and remember to check it. Suggestions and tips are encouraged greatly. Hopefully we can get pics of the new house and puppy on here soon. Maybe one or two of us as well :)