My pack Young and Old.

 This is my pack.

 Baby Nanook

 Grown up Nanook.

Baby August. 

 Grown up August.

 Baby Kodak.

 Grown up Kodak.

 Baby Dublin.

Grown up Dublin.

 

 

I love this slobbery, hairy life.

How many dogs are too many?

   This beautiful grouping of canine are what we call family. They all have a place in our hearts and in our home. Each sleeps at the feet of Travis and I and each licks our faces on a daily basis. 1-2 dogs is the average of a pet owning family home in America and we have double that statistic and we have it easier than most. When most people say "Oh you have dogs? How many" our answer drops their jaws and they are baffled by our "courage" lol.
   I am not a dog whisperer and I'm not a trainer but I have learned that when you give a dog respect they will give the same effort in return. It gets easier with higher numbers because each pet falls in place of the older pet who has learned the ropes of our home and has been living under our rules the longest. When Dublin (The baby) acts up and I say "Dublin, no dig or no chew" August the dominant female will run over and put her into place and correct her bad behavior. Shortly after, August will come by our side as if saying "did I do a good job?" They fall into a pack under the alpha, Travis and I.
   I took this picture within 2 minutes of asking them to line up. No cookies needed for the behavior I asked because they want to please their owner and they want to make us happy. SO may people get a pet and neglect them. That results in chewing up shoes, peeing on the carpet, snapping at their owner around food/toys or a bone. It is all about respect. I wouldn't have it any other way and as much as Travis says Oh they're just dogs....I find him snuggling with all 4 each night in bed loving on each and every one of them. Remember, I have four because each of us choose two a piece. We were very picky about the members we hand picked for our loving home. We are one big happy family.
   All I have to say is "4 dogs? Phst That's easy"

Habits

What is a habit?

hab·it (hbt)

n.

1.

a. A recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition.

b. An established disposition of the mind or character.

2. Customary manner or practice: a person of ascetic habits.

3. An addiction, especially to a narcotic drug.

4. Physical constitution.

5. Characteristic appearance, form, or manner of growth, especially of a plant or crystal.

6.

a. A distinctive dress or costume, especially of a religious order.

b. A riding habit.

 

   A habit can be something as annoying as a coworker who taps their pen on the desk constantly or even an act of kindness that happens so regularly that it goes unnoticed because it unappreciated after the habit is accepted. Why do you notice the pen tapping over the act of kindness? It is something you do not choose to accept in which causes you to be effected in a negative way. When you get married the little habits come out in your spouse that were "cute" at first and become annoying habits over the daily acts of kindness that are unappreciated. After 3 years of marriage I feel like I have more insight into what is appreciated in your significant other and this is something I want to blog about and look back 5 years from now and say....our marriage grew and I love that.

   As I lay in bed each night Travis does something I never noticed until he worked night shifts. He has to touch me while sleeping whether its a foot, a hand, a shoulder or his back, and I found myself taking longer to fall asleep because I didn't have that habit that I was so used to I never took a second notice to. He had this habit to know I was there next to him safe and as the years past I found myself needing that habit to reoccur to instill safety, security and reassurance.

   Every time I eat a meal with another person other than Travis I find myself baffled by the fact that they don't eat in the same order he does; side dishes first, main dish second. More so specifically French fries, then burger. I have known to lice with this order for so long it is almost expected. Anything else is so "different".

   Or even the simple "why is the house so hot?" With Travis being in Iraq for so long and sleeping in the conditions he has he prefers to sleep cold. I found myself freezing at night at first and after 3 years I am SWEATING unless the air is on 65-69 degree each night. I think someone is crazy otherwise with this developed habit of my own. And I sleep in very light clothing. This habit grew on me and adapted my way to suit him so we could live better together.

   The whole point of this is that habits make those around you who they are and to all my friend out there reading this who are planning on getting married soon; accept your spouse as they are. You will find their habits to be ridiculous and crazy now but in a year you will feel so off without them and your whole world will be thrown off without that routine. Remember, you have annoying habits of your own and your spouse accepts them too. No one is perfect and that is why we get a long so well within a marriage. Opposites and difference attract.

  

 

 

 

Laura's 21? party!

 This littlest sister is finally an "Adult" in the world's eyes in the last way possible. (even though I've been married close to 3 years now lol)

Stella Artois was my first drink of choice at one of my favorite restaurants, Olive Garden. Travis and I had a lovely evening just relaxing over dinner and a few drinks all while escaping of what is now our work load of a day. As some of you know I was legally allowed to drink while married in the state of Ohio under the consent of a spouse over 21. But, in all reality it is different now to feel that independence and be able to have "no strings attached". Delicious beer by the way. One of my favorites.

Travis tolerates my constant picture taking and most of the time will be silly with pictures to cope with my madness but he gave me a big smile for my birthday snapshot. This man spoils me so much and I'm so blessed as to have spent such a landmark of a birthday with him. Love him!

Then......this happened. My 21st drivers license picture........

(and before you say "All girls criticize their license picture way too much!" In this case....it's almost freakish.)

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Every waiter will say "Congrats on the weight loss! You look great!" Hey I guess I'll just take it as a self esteem booster haha.

Looking forward to my actual party this weekend with family and friends. Keg included. =)

A Dark Knight....falls.

We went and saw "The Dark Knight Rises" this weekend and I am sad to say there was a police officer posted at the entrance of the theatre. After Friday's incident with the shooting in Colorado I hate to see how fear can run through this country so rapidly. Every theatre in this country has a police officer posted in fear of a "copy cat" to the incident that occured with this man who went absolutely mental. One act of pure hate can cause a fear of something so innocent as seeing a movie and getting away from the world for a few hours. Every time I heard a gun go off or explosion in the movie all I could think about was....what if? I can't believe the pain and suffering those families are going through in Colorado. One man's act can scar a family for life. The movie was great and the ending took me away but what if this was a man at a grocery store....would we fear shopping for food next?

A Family Update. Dogs Included.

As Most of you know, since our last post we've gained 2 more furry children of our own. We now have 4 pups running around the house and we couldn't be happier. They say that having a dog before children helps you to "practice" in a way. Young couples tend to get a puppy in hopes to challenge their parental instincts and get warmed up for the real deal. Travis and I do not want kids for quite some time but until then we have plenty of hairy ones to attend to. It's nice To see the fatherly side of Travis come out everyone and a while. He's not bouncing a baby on his knee or bottle feeding at 4 am but he sure is a fun daddy! Plus, at our age dogs are a heck of a lot easier! Every time I turn the corner he has a pup in his lap curled up watching TV even if it's Kodak our 70 pound big boy! Here's an update on the gang.

TRAVIS

Travis has been working in the security field for a long while now but has just been hired on for a company called OPW. This job will guide him into a full blown career which will offer a bright future for our family. His Step dad has worked there for many years and Travis has decided to take his advice and try his luck in this large company.

LAURA

As for me, I've been working full time at Red Dog Pet Resort in Cincinnati. This allows us an outlet for the dogs to have an all day play option when they get a little "too crazy" at home. If it wasn't for the line of work I'm in we wouldn't have as many dogs as we do. I love my job and I love being surrounded by puppies all day everyday.

NANOOK (American Eskimo/Spitz)

Nanook was our Christmas present to each other only 3 months after getting married. He's our "first born" as we say and he moved across the east coast to North Carolina to live the military life for a while. He kept me company while Travis worked each and everyday teaching me how to take care of more than myself and in return learning how to be a wife. He's about to turn 3 in September and now that he's older his activity of choice is....Sleeping. lol. He'd rather stay at home and snooze until dinner time rolls around again. Oh Nanook.

AUGUST (Siberian Husky)

August came along as a playmate to our Nanook. She was a feisty one then and still is now. She made Nanook the lazy boy he is today wearing him out day to day with her puppy energy. She LOVES daycare and would go to work with me everyday that she could. She comes off as pack leader between the 4 but has the softest side to her. Such a cuddle bug. This pup taught me how to properly groom a dog and with four hariy ones, this became a very important skill for me. She will be turning 2 in September.

KODAK (Leonberger Mix)

Now this big boy was a blessing fallen from the sky. My coworker found him tied up to a gas station pump on a hot summer day. He was 3 months old and was left for someone to find in hopes for a better family. From the first day she brought him to work with her to offer up for adoption or even to foster he had to be ours. Travis fell in love with his "Eyore" attitude the first night of fostering and the rest is history. He grew to be 70lbs of pure gentle giant with every one of his siblings and is has the biggest heart of all. He just turned to be 1 back in march.

DUBLIN (Australian Shepherd)

This little bundle of fur was an act of pure craziness. We already had three so why not four lol. She came home to three big sibling sniffing, poking, prodding, and biting on her and she grew from a weak 5lb ball of fur to a 25lb ball of nothing but though. She grew up sitting behind the desk at my work and is now considered somewhat the official greeter at Red Dog. Every client knows her wiggling stub of a tail. Predicting to be 50-60 pounds like her parents, she has shown to be the extreme runt of the litter weighing in at only 25lbs at 8 months (she categorizes for a miniature). That's Ok because her size doesn't limit her love for anyone willing to rub her belly. She tries to override the pack but August doesn't allow it. The boys let her sometimes lol.

As for the rest of the summer we plan on grilling out 7 days a week and enjoying the warm weather out back with the pups.