Popcorn, Pugs & Peonies

An American Bulldog Named Meatball

2018-01-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

A note before you begin: I started writing this on Christmas Eve, when everything happened. As you can imagine, it was painful to finish at the time. I tucked it away until I could write it the way I wanted to.

5/23/07- 12/24/17

This is a post that I knew I would one day have to write. However, I didn’t think that one day would be on Christmas Eve. Our beloved American bulldog Meatball crossed the Rainbow Bridge this morning, and it was one of the hardest and surest decisions my husband and I have had to make as a family. Our hearts are shattered into a thousand tiny pieces that I can’t even begin to make sense of right now. I wanted to get some thoughts out about the amazing boy he was.

We rescued Meatball from a Craig’s List ad in January 2008. He was a lively nine month old puppy chained up in a garage in San Jose, CA. He had quickly outgrown his “family” who had other priorities, none of which included exercising an energetic 100 lb dog. My husband had been researching the breed and understood what parenting an American bulldog would mean. We took a drive out to go meet him, and it was love at first sight.

My husband and myself with our first pug Turner and Meatball. This was taken in Lake Tahoe the day after our wedding.

We returned to San Jose to pick him up and bring him home a few days later. We took him to the vet for his checkup. An assistant commented that he was quite a meat head, all muscle and energy. Something clicked, and we knew his name had to be Meatball. My husband and I were living in an apartment, but in the process of buying our first home with a yard. We moved him into our cramped accommodations with our first pug Turner, thinking it was a very temporary situation. Of course, it wasn’t.

Meatball loving his yard.

If you remember back to 2008, the real estate market bubble burst. Home prices in the Bay Area were falling, and we were losing the homes were were bidding on as quickly as we were finding them. At one point, when the four of us were living in our tiny apartment and getting up at the crack of dawn to take our new puppy for hour long walks to burn off his immense energy, we wondered if we had made a mistake. The flu swept through our home, making our morning routine an unpleasant obligation. We considered giving him back. We considered rehoming him. Somehow, we pushed through. By the end of March, we had closed on a new home with a yard.

The day Petunia met Meatball.

We quickly became a family. Pictures of Meatball were used as table markers in our wedding reception. Our pug Turner passed away, and we brought home Petunia and Harriet. Our new dog pack was complete. We took vacations to the family home in Lake Tahoe. We explored the dog park. He was our best friend and protector. We had amazing adventures. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever.

Our complete dog pack.

We discovered Meatball’s first mast cell tumors in the summer of 2015, right before we moved across the county. He had four removed and quickly recovered. A few days later we threw everyone in the back of our SUV and drove to Atlanta. We discovered more tumors in December 2016. He had a second surgery to remove three additional tumors and a much slower recovery. He didn’t bounce back this time. We decided not to put him through more surgeries, but were optimistic about the future.

A picture of Meatball that was used as a table marker for our wedding reception.

We monitored him on a consistent basis, checking his body for any obvious lumps and bumps. We had an internal scan done to check for any nodules on his organs. We were clear. He was a ten year old American Bulldog (an old man by big dog standards), but spry like a puppy. He never slowed down. Never showed any signs of getting old. We were grateful for every day.

Does anybody want a treat?

Wednesday December 20th was a day like any other. My husband was cleaning up after dinner, and all of a sudden he called me into the kitchen. Meatball was lying on the floor, breathing heavily. He seemed to be semi-conscious at best, and clearly something was wrong. After about fifteen minutes he seemed to come out of it, and we moved him into the living room. He didn't spring up. He didn't wag his tail. He was sick. We made the decision to rush him to the emergency vet.

Wednesday night, when Meatball fell ill.

This was a place we had been before. Meatball had his second mast cell removal done here. These people were the experts. If anyone could fix this situation, it was them. Within a half an hour we had a diagnosis. He had a tumor in his spleen that was bleeding into his stomach and causing him pain. Spleens could be removed, and although the prognosis wasn't terrific, his fight wasn't over. He had emergency surgery the next morning and a day later we were able to take our boy home. We were waiting for the results of the biopsy, but his prognosis was 6-9 months at best. We were just happy to get to spoil him in his remaining months. We just wanted him back home.

The car ride back home, after his spleen removal surgery.

He came home on Friday the 22nd. He was clearly in pain from his surgery, but seemed to be recovering. He wagged his tail. He barked. He started following us around. Best of all, he ate like a champion. Our boy was back!

Saturday night, when Meatball was recovering, and Petunia was his nurse.

On Sunday morning (Christmas Eve) he got up and walked down stairs. He looked at his breakfast and turned away from it. He wanted to lie down. His gums were pale white. His breathing became labored. We knew this was very bad. He couldn't walk to the car this time, so we carried him. I sat in the back to keep him company while my husband drove. If anything happened on the way there, I didn't want him to be alone.

The emergency vet brought out a stretcher and rushed him into critical care. We waited, hoping that whatever it was could be fixed. The vet came to talk to us. It was most likely a blood clot in his lungs. It couldn't be dissolved. He was trying to pass over, but struggling to stay alive to see us one more time. We knew we had to let him go.

Everything that happened next, happened quickly. We said our tearful goodbyes and told him what a good boy he was. He sat up and wagged when he saw us. It was like a punch in the heart. We stayed with him, attempting to comfort him to the very end. And then it was over.

We left in a daze.

The past week has been hard. We have been so very sad. We lost a member of the family and nothing can ever replace him. Each day has gotten a little less difficult. It helps to talk about him and to remember the beautiful, full life he had.

Best friends

First week in our Atlanta house.

Jumping into Lake Tahoe.

Our pack on the west shore.

Relaxing with a favorite toy.

Bulldog in the moonlight.

They had a bond that was unbreakable.

I Found My Fairy Blog Mother!

2017-12-28T13:27:00.000-08:00

I was completely stumped as to how to resolve the issue with my Photobucket images (see my previous post). I was googling possible fixes when I stumbled upon this post. Linda, from the blog Life and Linda was offering to help anyone with the Photobucket problem. I reached out to her, and she sweetly and quickly fixed everything! My blog is now back to normal, and I can’t thank her enough. If you are dealing with the the broken image issue and need help, I cannot recommend her highly enough. She is my blogging angel!

She also has a blog design service, which I wanted to share, called My Fairy Blog Mother.

I Don't Know How To Fix This...

2017-12-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I have poked my head over here to say hello. For those of you that reached out via email, I appreciate you thinking of me! I didn't mean to stay away so long, but now we are at the end of 2017, and not one post.

A side-effect of not stopping by has been a complete lack of awareness that the blog design has been falling apart, so to speak. I wanted to do a few updates, but it seems that Photobucket is no longer hosting my titles, and now my blog looks a little strange. The problem is, I don't know how to fix it.

I reached out to the person who did my blog design, but she doesn't seem to be doing this any longer, and hasn't responded to my email. The blog titles were hosted from her Photobucket account, so I am not really sure if there is anything I can do on my end to fix this.

If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I would love to start posting again.

Home Is Where The Heart Is: A Year In Atlanta

2016-09-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Our street in springtime

A deer in our front yard

September 14th was our one year house-iversary. That means that we have officially lived in Atlanta for a whole year. This has not been the easiest year for me. There were a lot of changes. We moved from a tiny house where our dogs got along, into a much bigger house where our two little dogs decided they hated each other's existence. I missed my friends. I missed going into an office and feeling that sense of camaraderie with my co-workers. I missed the mountains and the bay. I missed the Golden Gate Bridge and the cool evenings in the middle of of July. I had some hard weeks. I didn't feel like I belonged here. I even thought about turning around and going back.

I really missed living in California, but as time went on, things started to change. We started working on the house, little projects at a time. We changed paint colors, scraped popcorn of the ceilings, and added new light fixtures. We began exploring the area. We hosted our first holiday in our new home. Family flew out to visit us. I drove to Costco without using my navigation system. I made new friends. Suddenly, my trips back to California started to feel more like visits than coming home.

It took some time, but now Georgia is where my heart is. The Bay Area will always hold a special place for me, but this is my home. Here are a few highlights from the past year.

Getting rid of the boring neutrals

Taking Harriet for a stroll around the block

Our first daffodil of spring

Meatball blending into the snow in our backyard

Scraping the popcorn off the ceilings

Our first deck garden

This little guy was crossing the road in front of my house

Meatball enjoying the warm evening

My hollyhocks after a storm

Meatball keeping watch over the front yard

Butterfly season

The Results Are In...

2016-09-15T08:57:00.001-07:00

Waiting for the vet to call us back with Petunia's biopsy results was agony. The final report took over a week, but I am happy to say that the tumor was benign! To celebrate, here are some pug shots.

Making sure I don't get too far away, but too lazy to follow me downs the stairs.

She literally makes me shoo her down the stairs so she can do her after-dinner business. Then she doesn't want to come back inside.

Hanging out with her best buddy.

Being this cute is exhausting.

Recent Reads: Things Have Gotten A Little Bit Dirty

2016-08-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

Radio silence, then two blog posts in a row? I am on fire this week!

I have been reading/listening to a lot of books in 2016. Partially, because I need something to pass the time on those 5 hour cross-country flights for work, and partially because I joined a book club. I have to admit, I am not much of a joiner. I generally don't like having commitments to places that I need to be (outside of work). I like the freedom to plan my weekends as they approach. However, my friend has been a member of this book club for eight years and was persistent that I come. I was a little afraid that reading a book because someone said I had to would feel a little too much like school. So far this has been a good experience, and I have met some interesting people. We'll see if I still feel this way in a few months.

As you can tell from my reading list, I have recently discovered the author Penelope Ward, and have devoured everything she has written. Her books fall under the "new adult" category, which comes after "young adult." These books have all been juicy, fun reads, but definitely not for kids under the age of 18.

I finally read Will Grayson, Will Grayson (it was the last John Green book on my list), and I have to say, I really didn't care for it much. The same can be said of Burnt Mountain, which had me all the way up until the final chapters, where is just fizzled out and died.

One of my favorite books listed here was The Basic Eight. It was really well written, and the characters were well developed. It had the kind of twist ending that you don't really see coming until right before it does. I recommend reading the summary, if you want to get an idea for how amazing this read really was. I also really enjoyed Pretty Girls (and the accompanying novella Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes). They are the kind of books that scare you because you know that this kind of thing really happens. Definitely not reading you should do right before you go to sleep.

Have you read any of the books on this list? What's that last good book you have read?

A Little Bit of Surgery

2016-08-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

*Taps mic* Is this thing on?

I am not quite sure how so much time has passed since my last blog post. April, August, hey, they both start with an A. Maybe no one will notice?

For those of you that are keeping tabs on my dog situation, not much has really changed. We did meet with a new behavioral specialist, and they gave us some great advice. They also offered to put the dogs into their intensive behavioral modification program to try to make things better, but they couldn't guarantee anything would actually be better. It was a very expensive program for no promise of returning to our old normal. For now, that is on hold. Somehow, we are managing in our "new normal."

Unfortunately, we did find a suspicious growth on this little knucklehead. We had dealt with mast cell tumors before (Meatball had a major surgery to remove three before we moved to Atlanta). So we took her to our vet, and they recommended removal. I was super-terrified about the whole thing, since Petunia suffers from the occasional seizure, and I wasn't sure how going under would affect her. Luckily the operation was quick and without incident.

This is Petunia the night of. She was a bit out of it, and really just wanted to snuggle under the covers and be alone. She snapped back to her old hyper-active self a few days later, but it was hard to see her so uncomfortable. She is usually very velcro dog, who needs to be under foot all of the time. Happily her need for alone time was short lived, and she is currently sleeping on my foot as I am writing this.

Her surgery wasn't quite a week ago, and we are waiting on the results of the biopsy. In the meantime, she is getting lots of playtime and extra chewies. I am also snuggling her a little bit harder these days. I'll give another update once we know the results.

Georgia Aquarium

2016-02-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

Since we moved to Georgia, our life has centered around putting our new house together and dealing with our dog issues. That hasn't really left a lot of time for us to explore our new city. However, on February 1, I officially turned 40 years old (gasp)! I had been dying to check out the Georgia Aquarium for years, and this seemed like the perfect day to take off of work and go for a visit. Plus, admission is free on your birthday, which was an offer I couldn't refuse.

I had been hearing how amazing this place is for years, and it did not disappoint. It is the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere. We easily spent the day there, checking everything out.

When we walked in, we entered a large room full of color and light. The space was divided into five specific galleries, which surrounded this central room. There was also a cafeteria and a gift shop.

There was no specific order that the aquarium should be viewed in. We happened to get there about fifteen minutes before the dolphin show was going to start, so that was our first stop.

As you are walking in to the Dolphin Tales gallery, there is a huge tank where you can watch the dolphins playing. Beyond the tank is a big theater where you can watch a half hour dolphin show. No photography was allowed (and was strictly enforced), but it is definitely worth catching if you are there during showtime.

Tropical Diver was the second gallery we explored.

Garden eels, poking up from their homes in the sand.

I am pretty sure these cuttlefish were posing for me

A graceful sea nettle

I love watching the jellyfish glide around their tanks

A clown fish in an anemone

A harlequin snake eel, which is very cool from behind the glass.

The next gallery (and probably the most popular) was Ocean Voyager. This is the only place in North America that has whale sharks. There is even a live webcam, if you want to check them out from the comfort of your living room.

A sawfish

It is hard to tell form this picture, but the manta rays are huge

Trying to give a little perspective on the size of the whale shark.

An alternate view of a whale shark swimming by.

The fourth gallery was Cold Water Quest. This was where most of the mammals hang out.

We got to watch a sea otter feeding

We were also on time for the penguin feeding

The beluga whales were spectacular and very playful.

The fifth gallery was River Scout.

The piranhas were easily my favorite thing in this gallery. There were a little bit creepy (I have probably seen way too many horror movies).

I wasn't too keen on the electric eel either, but I can appreciate him from behind the glass.

There was an additional exhibit called Aquanaut Adventure, which was geared towards kids. However, that is where these guys were hanging out.

During our time at the aquarium, we made friends with a docent who told us about the All-Access Backstage Pass. For an extra $15, you can take a behind the scenes tour, and see the inner-working of the aquarium. If you visit, I highly recommend doing this.

This is the top of the Ocean Voyager exhibit

We got very close to the whale shark feeding

We got to watch some training for the new seal exhibit that is coming in March...

...And see the beluga whales from another perspective

The seals and beluga whales are kept in the same tank until the exhibit opens. They can also be found together in nature.

This is the filtration system for the Tropical Diver exhibit

There is a wave machine that generates waves to keep the water in Tropical Diver oxygenated. This is what it looks like from within the exhibit (you can also watch it on the aquarium webcam).

On the tour, you get to see how the wave is created.

To wrap up, a little information on how much food it takes to keep this aquarium going.

I have a feeling this will be a place we visit many more times over the years. There are additional tours that you can take for extra money that involve one on one encounters with penguins and sea otters, which are two items most definitely on my bucket list.

Recent Reads: Some John Green, A Little Smut, and Two Mysteries

2016-02-15T09:05:00.001-08:00

It occurred to me recently that I hadn't done any updates on what I had been reading for the second half of 2015. I also decided that it was time to try a new format for doing my book reviews, where you can click on the book above to find it on Amazon and get a brief synopsis. It is also one of my first stabs at using affiliate links, which means that I get a small commission if you buy any of them using my link.

Over the summer, I tackled the After series, after Kristina from Pretty, Shiny, Sparkly recommended it on one of her vlogs. These books are racy and graphic and a bit Fifty Shades of Greyish, however with much better writing and more interesting characters. I normally get bored when I read a series by the time I get around to the third book, but I listened to the four of these straight through. The writing was engaging enough to keep me wanting to know what happened next.

My husband and I (and technically our three dogs) listened to Don't Look Back on our cross-country road trip out to Atlanta. It was a pretty engrossing "who is this guy really" kind of mystery. I listened to Reconstructing Amelia on my daily work commute. There is a mystery surrounding the circumstances of fifteen year old Amelia's death. Her mother has to put the pieces of the past together to determine if her daughter committed suicide or if her death was something more sinister. I wasn't expecting the ending at all.

Finally, I listened to the two John Green's novels on plane trips across the country. The Fault In Our Stars is still my favorite book of his, but these were both fun reads. John Green has a way of writing teenagers that get you emotionally invested in their lives. I don't know how he does it, but the man can tell a good story.

Have you read any good books lately? I am always looking for new books to add to my list.

My First Stitch Fix

2016-02-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

Fashion blogging is hard. I never really knew how hard until I had to take these pictures. I tried posing in a few different mirrors around the house with two different cameras and my iPhone. I finally settled into a spot and it started pouring rain, so I had virtually no natural light. I think there is definitely a learning curve here that I need to climb. Now that my disclaimer is out of the way, here is what I received in my first shipment. For details on how this service works, please read through to the end of the post.

Lisbon Stud Detail Blouse by 41Hawthorn ($58): I was not immediately crazy about the print of the blouse, although I did like the cut. One of the main reasons I wanted to try Stitch Fix is to get a little bit out of my clothing comfort zone and try something I wouldn't naturally gravitate to. Of course, I had to try this on first.

Brittany, my stylist, suggested that I try it with jeans, for a put together casual look. I also pulled a pair of booties out of my closet to create a look as I would wear it for running errands.

Here is a closer detail shot of the print and the gold studs that line the neck and sleeves. I definitely would have preferred this shirt in a solid color.

I also tried to wear the blouse the way I would if I was going into the office, so I put on my favorite Sloan pants by Banana Republic, a long cardigan, and some knee-high black boots. I liked that the addition of the cardi made the print a little less loud. It is a bit hard to tell, but the base color of the shirt is navy blue. I haven't tried this color combination before, but I think it worked well with the black (although I am pretty sure I am breaking some color matching rule here).

The cardigan that I chose from my closet has the same gold stud detail as the top sewn into the fabric along the edge.

Jarred Lace Detail Cap-Sleeve Blouse by Brixton Ivy ($68): I LOVED THIS TOP IMMEDIATELY!! The drapey fit was perfect, and I adored the lace detailing around the neckline and sleeves. I had pinned quite a few lacy tops to my Pinterest board, and my stylist definitely used that as a point of reference. This is a great option for my business-casual office.

Since I already had my favorite work pants on, I first tried an all black look.

Emer Printed Straight Leg Pant by Margaret M ($98): I had also pinned some printed pants to my Pinterest board, and Brittney took notice. She suggested I try these on with the lace top for an easy to wear work outfit. I added some black wedges for a spring/summer office look. These pants are somewhere between leggings and actual pants, with an elastic waistband that makes them extremely comfortable. I am definitely going to keep these. The length is perfect.

Pinson Drape Cardigan by Brixton Ivy ($54): Brittany also said I should try this cardigan on to complete the sweet and edgy look. I was so excited to receive this item, because I had pinned this exact one to my Pinterest board. It has two dreamy layers and drapes really nicely in all the right places. I added my boots to complete more of a wintery look that I mighty wear into the office today.

Leighton Metal Bauble Necklace ($34): My fifth and final piece was a necklace. It was reminiscent of the J Crew Bubble Necklace that was so popular a few years back, but in a metallic color. I didn't completely love the statement necklace (I have so many statement necklaces at this point that it takes a lot to blow me away), but with the 25% discount that Stitch Fix gives you for keeping all five pieces, it was cheaper to keep it then to send it back.

I threw on a simple black sweater since I already had the printed pants on, and I do think the necklace adds a certain charming detail to the outfit. I think I would like it just as much with a plain t-shirt and jeans.

Overall, my stylist Brittany did a really good job at understanding what it was I wanted for my first fix, a combination of office and work-from-home clothing. I really wanted to keep the lace top, printed pants, and cardigan. However, Stitch Fix gives you 25% off when you keep all of the items, so it was cheaper to keep the two items I was on the fence about (the necklace and printed top). I am really looking forward to trying this service again.

If you are interested in trying your own Stitch Fix, here is my referral link (I get a Stitch Fix credit if you use my link). Once you create your own account, you take a style profile quiz to help you stylist identify your likes and wants. You are also encouraged to create a Pinterest board, where you can pin items that suit your style and even request items from other people's fixes that you want for yourself. There is a styling fee of $20 per fix, which goes towards keeping any items you decide that you can't live without. If you keep all 5 items they send you, you get an additional 25% off of your entire order.

It is worth mentioning that you can have fixes sent to you as often or infrequently as you want. There is an option for automatic fixes (delivered in intervals of your choosing), as well as an option for a one time fix. Either way, you get to choose the approximate delivery date. You can also choose not to have certain types of items or colors sent in your fixes. You can even choose items for upcoming events (think wedding season shopping) and the price points you are comfortable spending.

A Long Time Ago, We Used To Be Friends

2016-01-19T09:18:00.001-08:00

If you have been following this blog for any length of time, you may already know that I have three dogs. I LOVE my dogs. To my husband and I, they are family. We adopted Meatball in 2008, and Petunia and Harriet in 2010. We have all lived together happily since then.

OK, it hasn't been all roses and sunshine, but for the most part, everyone got along. Then we moved to Georgia. Nothing has been the same since.

My three fur babies hanging out in our hotel room on our cross-country drive

It happened almost immediately, the first night we lived in our new house. Petunia saw Taco the cat, and all hell broke loose. It was a downhill spiral from there. Petunia and Harriet were always frenemies. They weren't the best of friends, like Petunia was with Meatball, but they tolerated each other.

In the new house, everything was different. They couldn't stand each other. There were fights. Blood was drawn. Then there was the worst night. The night everything changed for good.

Staying with family, a few days before we moved into out new home

My husband had gone out of town for work. My mom was up for a visit with a friend and had gone to pick up dinner. It was getting dark, and I had run into the foyer to turn on the outside lights so she could see when she returned. All three dogs followed.

My mom put the key in the door. Meatball barked. I saw Harriet and Petunia glare at each other. Then they started to fight. I scooped up Petunia into my arms in an effort to stop it from getting worse.

I had a solitary moment where I thought that the crisis had been averted. Suddenly, Harriet jumped up after Petunia, and caught her tail in her mouth. That is when she bit the tip off. It happened so fast that I wasn't even aware of what took place until the damage was done.

Harriet and Petunia, the first few weeks in our new home

The rest of the night was a blur. There was blood and panic and a trip to the emergency vet that ended in surgery. Petunia was a trooper (and much calmer about the whole thing than the rest of us). In the end she was OK (and again, doing much better than the rest of us). It was a horrific evening that lasted until I brought her home at about 2 am.

The last picture of everyone together, before our "new normal"

I asked the vet for answers. Why was this happening? How can our doglife have changed so drastically in just a few weeks? Were they fighting for dominance in this new home territory? Would this issue go away on its own? Could we go back to our old sense of "normal"?

We had Harriet tested for thyroid issues (which can lead to a drastic change in behavior), and everything checked out ok. We went to a dog behaviorist, and that only served to provide a band-aid for a problem that obviously wasn't going to go away. Things didn't get better. We just learned how to work around them. Stress levels were at an all time high. I read as much as I could on the subject to try to figure out our next steps.

One of our neighbors recommended a consultation with a new behavioral specialist that specifically deals with aggression. They had experienced some of the same types of issues with their dogs, and this seemed to make it better. I made an appointment, which is coming up soon. I still have that nagging question in the back of my mind, "If this doesn't work, then what?". I don't know how this story is going to end, but I am hanging on to hope.

Did I Mention Our New House Came With A Cat?

2015-12-10T18:01:00.000-08:00

Meet Taco.

While my husband and I are decidedly dog people, we have both had our share of cats growing up. Being that we already had three pups, we weren't exactly looking to grow our small furry family. However, the night we moved in, a large orange cat appeared on our back deck. He was peering in through the glass panes in the door. He seemed comfortable. He seemed familiar with the house. He seemed like he wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

Petunia was the first to notice him. At first they seemed to have some kind of staring contest, with neither flinching even a tiny bit. My dogs had not really been exposed to cats, and she seemed to be a bit confused. She turned her head to the side and squealed. Then she decided to attack. The glass door was the only thing between them. She barked. She howled. She got the attention of our other dogs. That is when it all went to hell.

It all happened in a flash. Meatball lunged and pushed the door open. Harriet attacked Petunia. The cat swiped his paw across Meatball's nose. My husband and I pulled the girls apart. The cat remained still. Clearly, this was not his first dog rodeo. Luckily, none of the dogs were hurt, but it was clear this cat had to go.

When we talked to the previous owner of our house, she said the cat wasn't theirs, and that the neighborhood fed him. Also that his name was Taco and he was thirteen years old. We thought that maybe we could deter the cat from coming around here. Obviously our dogs couldn't handle it, and there was so much stress involved with the move already. The dogs were here first. Then we met our neighbors.

Our house came on a nice big lot in a very woodsy area. Along with the deer and the squirrels and enormous hawks (and rumors of a bear) come the snakes. It was no secret that there are copperheads in this area, and I was completely terrified of them. Apparently that is why the previous owner bought Taco. The consensus from a few of the the neighbors is that he comes from a long line of copperhead killing cats. There were tales of his crawling back to the house with a constrictor wrapped around him. He was brave and he was old and our garage came with a cat door.

So we decided to give him a shot. We went out to Petsmart and researched and then purchased cat food and a bed. We encouraged him to use the cat door. On the third night he brought my husband a mouse. He was so proud as he dropped it at his feet. He could have the garage and the dogs could have the rest of the house. He had obviously earned his place long before we arrived here.

So now we have a cat. A loving, sweet boy who wants nothing more than a warm lap and scratches on the head and to help us decorate our yard for the holidays. A cat who stays away from the back deck and the ire of our protective and befuddled dogs.

As much as I would love to end this post by letting you know that we all lived happily ever after, it is far from the truth. Things have worked out well in keeping the dogs and cat separated, but that night was also the beginning of something more sinister. It was the beginning of the end of Petunia and Harriet getting along. Things would get so much worse, and I didn't even know it yet.

Santa Baby...A 2015 Christmas Wishlist

2015-12-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

It seems like we just moved into our new house, and somehow, Christmas is already here. To tell you the truth, I haven't had the easiest time making the transition from Californian to Georgian. There has been a lot of drama around our dogs Petunia and Harriet no longer getting along, but I will save that for another blog post.

I have been trying to focus on getting the house together, and hope to have all of our rooms fairly comfortable by the end of the year. I am finally getting to build my dream vanity (I have wanted one since I was a little girl), and I will have a proper place to "put myself together" in the mornings. I just need a few things to make it complete.

I have been doing a fair amount of traveling for work, and I really think it is time to update my toiletry bag. Also, it is cold here! I have never had a house where I had to worry about things like covering the outdoor spigots so they don't freeze over. I didn't even know that was a thing people did. Anyway, it is a good excuse as any for a new pair of Uggs.

I wish you all a very happy holiday season! I will be back soon with some life and home updates.

Christmas Wishlist 2015 by threepsblog featuring leather crossbody handbags

The Time We Bought A House From 2500 Miles Away (And A Quick Tour)

2015-10-27T12:38:00.001-07:00

For most people, their home is the single biggest investment they will ever make. We are those people. For this reason, buying a house that we had never seen in person before from across the country made for one stressful summer. This was definitely one of the craziest things we have ever done, and here is how it all went down.

When we decided to move to Atlanta, we had no plans to go back for a visit. We had originally found a house we really liked while there to see family and made an offer, but we lost it. However, it lit a fire under us to move. My mother was getting older and needed some help. We were so far away. We had always talked about moving back east someday, and it became clear to us that someday was now.

The house buying process was not an easy one. There were offers that were not accepted, properties that didn't appraise for asking prices, and problems uncovered in inspections. We had to rely heavily on my family to look at the listings we were interested in and take detailed pictures and videos to send to us. My husband and I each had a list of things we wanted this house to have. We had always talked about our first house being our five year house (we lived there for seven and a half years). This was to be our forever home. This time, we knew exactly what we were looking for.

It had to have some land and some privacy. We didn't want to be able to wave at our neighbors in their dining room from our office window anymore. It had to have a kitchen that we could both work in at the same time. A big yard for the dogs. More space for storage. A garage with a workspace. A bathroom with a double-vanity. It had to have an in-law unit.

We decided to make this move in mid-May, and on September first, we started our journey across the country. We had purchased our forever home, and we had never even seen it in person. When we finally did get to see it, I took these pictures on my iPhone (sorry the quality isn't better). Luckily, we were not disappointed.

The first thing we fell in love with (via pictures) was the coffered ceilings in the living room. OK, so this was not something on our must have list, but it was beautiful.

I am a sucker for built-ins.

We loved all the open space. The living room area is actually called a great room, with the built-ins on one side and fireplace on the other. I have no idea how to furnish a space this big.

It opens up into one side of the deck.

This is the view outside of the front door. Hello privacy!

We wanted a large formal dining room for family get-togethers. This room definitely needs a chandelier with a bit more bling.

A kitchen with an island was on both of our lists.

There are cute details like these decorative tiles on the deck.

There is a bonus room which is perfect for our home office.

The master bedroom has a large walk-in closet (you can guess whose list that one was on).

And a beautiful double-vanity and separate tub and shower.

We absolutely love our new home, and have so many plans for the future. For now, we are still in the process of unpacking and getting settled. I hope to share more about the things we end up doing to make this place our own. I have a feeling this will be a work in process for years to come.

On The Road Again

2015-09-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Last week my little family of five spent a moderately epic week driving across the country. This is what we looked like the night before we left. Not nearly as ready as we should have been. We grossly underestimated how long it would take us to pack up our small house. As it turns out, not having a lot of square footage has nothing to do with just how much stuff you own.

We packed well into the night, got up early the next day to pack some more, and tried to get on the road by 1 pm. I am sure you know how this story goes. We needed to be out of the house no later than 5 pm so the new owners could take ownership. We didn't wrap up until 7:30. We were panicked and tired and probably a little bit stinky. This is the last shot I took in front of our house, ready to embark on our cross-country trip.

Somewhere around Needles, CA. I felt like we were driving into a painting.

This was a tunnel on a road that went to somewhere. I would love to go back one day an see where it leads.

We passed through a lot of wind farms, especially in California and Texas.

We listened to a book to keep us occupied during the long hours on the road. We also had the steady soundtrack of Meatball and Petunia snoring in the back seat.

We spent the night in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. I got to see the original London Bridge. I have now crossed over both of them (mark that item off the bucket list).

Beautiful desert scenery in Tucumcari, New Mexico.

I was still trying to stay on top of my day job at night. Harriet was ready to take a letter for me.

Into the great wide open, in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Taking some time out to do a little readjustment. If you haven't ever tried to find a patch of grass in the desert for your three suburban gravel and sand loathing dogs to poop on, you really haven't lived.

Crossing over the mighty Mississippi River into Memphis.

After a long day on the road, Meatball likes to unwind with a chewie and something random on the hotel tv.

I had to take a picture of the price of gas in Alabama. Being from California, I would call this a bit of a reverse sticker shock. I had no idea gas prices were so low in some parts of the country.

Driving through Cordova, Alabama.

Are we there yet?

The last leg of our journey. We finally made it to Atlanta, and the beginning of our next adventure. Now we just need to close on our new house. Our pod won't be here for a while, which gives us some time to explore our new town. I haven't lived here in fifteen years, so I need to learn how to get around again, what the fun things to explore are, and how to get to Costco (we are going to need a lot of paper towels).

The Best Laid Plans

2015-09-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

I have found that planning out my goals in four month increments seems to work best for me at this stage of my life. I break them out into January through April, May through August, and September through December. I type up my list on pretty paper and check things off once they are completed, usually using a cute sticker to mark my accomplishment. I try to list common items together, because I find it easier to tackle common items together. I hang my list somewhere that I will see it every day as a visual reminder. This is a sample shot from a list I put together for last summer.

When I originally drafted my goals for this summer, we weren't planning on moving back to the east coast. It was something my husband and I had always talked about doing one day. We traveled back East in May to visit family, and decided that our someday was now. We started looking at houses and making offers. We didn't get the houses. We listed our house in California. It sold in a weekend. I put in a transfer with my job. There was no turning back. We were committed. My husband was denied his transfer. Our house was sold. Time was moving forward, and so were we. We needed a place to live. Our summer felt like a blur. It was filled with open houses and staging furniture and sending in documents to our mortgage company. There were moving boxes and bubble wrap and packing up a Pod until the early hours of the morning.

Here we are at the end of our summer. My husband traded in his zippy muscle car. We now have an SUV filled with three dogs, towing a trailer, and driving us across the country. This is the last picture I will ever take in front of our California house. We don't live there anymore. Our goals now include closing on a new house, husband finding a new job, and getting all of our stuff across the country as un-broken as possible. In five days we will be there. Updates will follow.

My So-Called Instagram Life

2015-09-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I won't be living in Northern California anymore. Packing and prepping for our cross- country adventure has been crazy. This is what have been up to in our final weeks on the west coast!

Our Ron Burgundy doll (complete with glass of Scotch) is making the trip with us. He just wanted to be on our Instagram feed.

Petunia's tongue is like a fruit roll-up.

We spent some time in San Francisco's Chinatown, shopping and exploring.

Petunia got a pretty new (Star Wars) dress.

The girls pretended the liked each other.

I had a bacon wrapped grilled peach with bleu cheese. It was amazing.

I found a chicken crossing the road in front of my house one morning. It was confusing. So many questions.

They are concerned about where my husband went (to the store). They are just concerned separately.

We also spent a little time exploring (and shopping in) Japantown in the city. I may or may not now own three teapots.

I wasn't expecting watermelon flavored yogurt to be good but this really was. Kind of like a watermelon Jolly Rancher.

Amazing how our entire life can fit into this.

We were cleaning out the garage, and the girls found their car seat. They were snuggling, but separately.

A Work Week In Scottsdale, AZ

2015-08-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

It goes without saying, Arizona in August is hot. This is the second year in a row that I have attended a conference and training for my job in Scottsdale in the summertime. It came a week before we had to pack up and move across the country, so it wasn't the best timing, but I must admit, it was a nice break from the chaos. Arizona is beautiful, and I took a little time to take it all in.

The view from my hotel room, with Camelback Mountain in the background.

Bunnies everywhere, with little cotton tails.

I found this guy on the wall near my room. He camouflaged so well with the wall, I wasn't sure he was an actual scorpion at first.

I don't know what these desert plants with the curly stands coming off of them are called, but I want one.

I spent some downtime here.

The cacti reminded me of little pin cushions.

Don't go!!

I found a beautiful old well in the backyard of my room.

Kinda phallic, don't ya think?

You know you want to pick this little gem up for your kids!

Recent Reads: A Little of This & A Little of That

2015-07-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

I seem to be plowing through a lot of books this summer. Here are my reviews and recommendations for the stories that I have been reading recently.

The Dinner: I had heard this book described as the Dutch Gone Girl, so I instantly added it to my reading list for this summer. The story is about two couples that meet for dinner in a posh restaurant in New Amsterdam one evening. The two men are brothers. One is an ex-school teacher with a vaguely identified mental illness that makes him prone to violent outbursts. The other is a politician, and the likely next Prime Minister of the Netherlands. It is slowly revealed throughout the course of the story that they are really meeting to discuss a situation with their children, who have committed a horrific act. The parents must decide how to react and deal with the possible consequences and fallout.

I wanted to love this book, but I can only give it three out of five stars. All of the characters are highly unlikable and the narrator is completely unreliable, which is usually a huge plus for my reading enjoyment. The story just seemed so implausible to me. I wanted more to happen, and even to see the characters grow and possibly learn something, but that never happened. Then it ended predictably, the only way a story like this could. I was hoping for so much more. Maybe something is lost in the English translation?

Better Than Before: Mastering The Habits of our Everyday Lives: If you read my blog regularly, it is no secret that I am a huge Gretchen Rubin fan. I pre-ordered this book on Audible,com, so I could listen to it the day it came out. As with all of her other books, I learned a lot about myself and why I do the things that I do. First I took her quiz on the four tendencies, to better understand how I deal with expectations. Once I was able to identify which tendency was my strongest (I am an obliger), I also started to identify the nature of those around me, and figure out how to better interact with them.

I find the science of how people form habits to be fascinating, and I feel like I gained a lot from reading this book. If you are already a fan of hers, you will dive right into this book as well. If you are new to her writing, I also highly recommend The Happiness Project, and Happier at Home. It probably goes without saying that I would rate this book a t strong five out of five stars.

Dirty Rocker Boys: I was a child of the 80's and a teen of the 90's. I grew up watching Star Search and hair band videos. I thought Bobbie Brown (the girl in the Cherry Pie video) was one of the most beautiful women ever, and her life seemed to be the stuff movies are made out of. So, as soon as I realized she had written her autobiography, I was in. Turns out her life wasn't all sunshine and roses, and the details of how things really happened for her were real page turners.

This book was sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. I would give it five stars, because of her honesty. Yeah, it was full of all of the juicy details of who was sleeping with who and what it was like being in relationships with some big-time rock stars. It was also about her trying to figure out who she really was while raising a daughter in the LA scene. Bobbie faced addictions and a doomed marriage. Her mother played a big part in giving her child the stability she needed. In the end, I really ended up rooting for her and hoping she can could get it all under control before it was too late.

Since You've Been Gone: Emily comes back from a family vacation to find that her best friend Sloane has disappeared. She receives a letter in the mail from Sloane with a list of tasks to accomplish before the end of the summer, with instructions to find her after she finishes the list. Sloane was always the more outgoing daredevil and Emily was more of a wallflower. This isn't the first time that Sloane has given Emily a list of tasks to accomplish that are slightly out of her comfort zone, but she has never seriously tried to complete them all, until now. This summer is different. Emily makes some new friends and with the help of the list has a pretty epic summer, totally bursting out of her shell and coming into her own. She just hopes that finishing the list will somehow lead her to solve the mystery of where her best friend has gone.

I loved this book, and would give it four out of five stars. It is geared toward young adults, but I a big fan of the genre. If you enjoy the kind of "where'd she go" mystery a la Paper Towns, then this is a great book for you.

Conservatory of Flowers (The Post That Almost Didn't Happen)

2015-07-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gotten an email from a friend that you meant to reply to right away, but you didn't? Every time you thought about replying, you wanted to send some great response, sharing some funny story about something crazy that just happened to you at Target. You felt the need to have something meaningful to say, so you kept putting it off until you did. Pretty soon it was three months later, and you felt like you had to come up with a reason why you hadn't yet responded, because why couldn't you just have sent an email right back in the first place? You finally realized that it didn't have to be insightful and witty, it just had to be a response. Well this post is my delayed email, only instead of three months later, it is three years.

I had always been curious about the Conservatory of Flowers, a giant greenhouse on the east end of Golden Gate Park. The building itself is beautiful, as are the grounds around it. One day I noticed a giant dinosaur head poking out of the roof, and I figured it was time to explore the place.

The inside was as beautiful as the outside. Flowers everywhere. Exotic plants. Light coming in through the ceiling and walls. The best part was the special exhibit at the end, filled with prehistoric plants. There was a loud roaring coming from the room where the exhibit was being held, and the children around me seemed to have a look of fear and wonder in their eyes. This was the room with the dinosaur head poking out of the roof.

At the end of my visit, I had hundreds of pictures. I kept trying to sort through them so I could post the best of them. I couldn't decide. There were so many rooms, and I couldn't keep all of the species straight. I kept trying to force myself to sit down and put a post together, but if you have a blog you know that these things can't be forced.

So here we are, three years and several special exhibits later, and I still have this incredible place inside the city that I want to share with you. The post is still picture heavy, but I tried to keep only my favorites. Of course, the dinosaurs are at the end.

Note: If you visit today, the place is largely the same. It is the special exhibit at the end that changes.

Sam's Chowder Mobile & The Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park

2015-07-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

Sam's Chowder Mobile is a cute little food truck that can be found inside the grounds of Golden Gate Park (across for the Japanese Tea Garden) on weekends. There is usually a line, but they get their orders out fast. It is the prefect place to swing by and grab a quick bite when you are on your way to visit some of the other attractions in the park. I strongly recommend their lobster roll and clam chowder. They also season their French fries with Old Bay seasoning, which I have since had to buy to flavor my own fries at home.

The San Francisco Botanical Gardens are also located inside Golden Gate Park. The area is divided up into specific sections, and you will see different plants in bloom depending on what time of the year you go. There are 55 acres to explore (and for me to walk off my lobster roll and chowder). I could probably ramble on and on about how pretty this place is, but I think I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

I Can't Stop Taking Pictures of our Backyard (Is That Normal?)

2015-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Since we have decided to move, I have had the urge to take pictures of our backyard every night. I have never been attached to a house before this. My husband and I got married when we lived here. We adopted Petunia and Harriet when we lived here. I started my blog when we lived here. I feel like I could go on and on, with all of the firsts. So, I am trying to enjoy the time we have left. Not that we won't ever come back, because we both have job and family obligations. I just love California. I met my husband here. I discovered my career here. I met some amazing friends here. Change is never easy for me. I long for adventure, yet I want everything around me to stay the same.

Scenes from my backyard:

The cotton candy skies.

The kind of evening that you look back on as the good old days.

I took this on June 21st, usually my favorite day of the year because it is the longest. However, we had to move all of our furniture into our kitchen and dining room because we were getting new carpet. It felt like the longest day of the year, for the first time ever.

Stress: My So-Called Instagram Life (Changes)

2015-07-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

I am a bit of a stress case lately. We have sold our house. My husband and I are moving back to the East Coast. I am nervous and scared and excited and nervous and full of hope for the future and scared to death. I have never been one that dealt well with change, but I am trying. This is a huge change for us. I am from the East Coast, but my husband is California born and raised.

We are so excited for our future, even though we don't know exactly what it will bring. I guess sometimes you really do have top put on your big girl panties and dive into the deep end. I think my Instagram account really paints a picture.

Plums from our tree that we have made cobbler from for years and years.

Trying to convince myself to jump in.

We had to go to Ikea to pick up a few things for our house. This was our view of San Francisco on the other side.

Meatball and Petunia snuggling. The dogs get exhausted from the constant change in the house.

We try to keep them in a routine. A sunbath never hurt anyone.

I had to replace all of our personal pictures in the house. I wanted this for a long time (and I love this song).

I found this cutie after I had packed away all of my other stuffed pugs. Petunia likes her, but she didn't see the resemblance.

I love to watch Meatball guard our tiny yard.

I bought this five year Q&A journal as a way to start logging my hopes and fears right now. It will be interesting to see how my answers change over the next five years.

This is a stressed out Harriet, trying to deal with a lot of change in the house.

I bought this off of Groop Dealz.

OK, this book series is a little bit smutty, but it has been a great distraction for me. Trying transfer my job, sell my house, buy a house across the country, and plan the move is not an easy thing.

I don't know if I am going to be able to bring my frogs across the country with me, but I am soaking up their superstar attitudes.

A Few Things From Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale

2015-07-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Every year I look forward to Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale, and today it is finally open to everyone (not just cardholders). I have spent some time both at the store and online browsing through this year's selection. I have already purchased the Kendra Scott Dylan iridescent necklace below, and I plan to go back for a few more things. I am especially fond of the deal on the Hunter boot socks (I have not seen these on sale before) and the Rebecca Minkoff Min-MAC (although I have seen this one on sale before and never can seem to pull the trigger). Here are some additional things I have my eye on.

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 15 by threepsblog featuring Voluspa

The House In Lake Tahoe

2015-07-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

We are trying to sell our house. I will tell you more about it once it actually happens (I am superstitious that way), but we did have two open houses this weekend. We had to get the dogs out of our house in the Bay Area (Meatball is a bit imposing), so we drove up to our family home in Lake Tahoe for a brief respite. We were only there overnight, but it is such a beautiful place, it is worth sharing.

The backyard.

I am pretty sure this is goldenrod.

A place to relax.

The family cabin from the backyard.

Petunia fell asleep at the snack table.

Meatball was worn out from the drive.

We walked the dogs down to the lake.

We refer to Petunia and Harriet as "the twins".

Trying to keep the dogs untangled.

What I actually look like when I am trying to untangle the dogs.

Meatball jumped right in.

Harriet explored all of the things.

And Petunia tried to jump into anything she saw (she does not love nature).

The West Shore Pier in Tahoma.

After the dogs went for a swim.

The best sandwiches in all of Lake Tahoe are at the PDQ in Tahoma (you can thank me later).

Local calls only.

The biggest pine cones I have ever seen.

Roads so rural that people are used to avoiding dogs (and bears) that may be in the road.

The front of the cabin.

My in-law's dog, Carly.

A new cabin being built down the street with an amazing slate roof.