Getting in the Groove

I love routine in the morning. It helps me wake up and ensure I am on time each day. I think I've got it down with my new job, and it feels great! Not that waking up at 5 a.m. is easy, but it's what I've gotta do. Plus, I love that I get to leave work at 4 p.m.! 

When Friday rolls around,  I am glad to have the weekend begin, since weekends in Denver might be my favorite ever. There is always something fun happening in the city, and the mountains are just a short drive away if the outdoors are calling my name. Hiking in Colorado is awesome compared to my wet hikes in Washington! Loving the dry trail and warm weather.

Additionally, the beer culture is incredible here. I find that we are attending a beer event of some sort just about every weekend. Plus, such events usually allow dogs -  Addie can join us!

Last weekend, we went to Denver Beer Co's pumpkin beer release party. Once in the door, we had unlimited opportunity to try their pumpkin beer plus a host of other beers on tap. Not to mention good food, games, and tons of fun people all brought together for the love of beer and a good time! Addie came along and was a huge hit. We take every opportunity we have to socialize her, and each time I am astounded at what a rock star of a dog she is. We are taking her downtown today for Oktoberfest Denver, and are so excited for good beer and German fun!

Wishing everyone out there a wonderful weekend!

Hooray for long weekends!

Labor Day weekend has been spectacular thus far. Preston, Addie, and I just got back from two nights in my uncle's cabin outside of Lyons, CO. Their darling green cabin is tucked away in the mountains with a river running right outside the backyard. I was dazzled by the lovely flowers in the yard and a hummingbird feeder buzzing with the little birds. We went on two nice hikes and Addie passed much of the time playing with Cody, a little pup a little over a year old. 

I'm exhausted from good time spent with family, hiking, eating delicious food, and reading, and am so glad to have tomorrow off work so that I may get some extra sleep and recuperate!

Addie getting some pets and a rest pre-hike

Theo, my uncle's golden doodle

View from the top 

Colorado is lovely

Cody the cutie! Addie's playmate for the weekend.

A glimpse at the lovely backyard

Head shake

Hummingbird friend

Full sail

I started my new job a week ago Monday, and I'm loving it! It is certainly an adjustment from not working at all, so I'm just starting to learn how to make time for other things. Add the puppy on top of that and I've got quite a few balls to juggle! 

My day starts at 5 a.m., I take puppy out, get ready for work, Preston leaves at 6 a.m. and I leave for work by 6:40 a.m.. I work till 11 a.m., drive home to take the puppy out and rush back to work till 4 p.m. Come home again for the puppy, I cook dinner, and give lots of love to the puppy. Preston gets home by 7:30 p.m.. We eat, and then to bed by 9 p.m. I haven't been this busy in ages! It's challenging but I'm loving it.

Thank goodness for the weekends when we can sleep in (till maybe 7 p.m.) and spend long days together. We've attempted two 14ers with Addie, and hope one day we can make it to the top! We are looking forward to this weekend and to more time spent in the mountains with family.

I'm hoping to get a rhythm figured out soon so I don't feel so rushed all the time, but perhaps that is my new rhythm for a time. Baby puppy plus full time job plus partner in medical school equals a lot more on my plate. 

Addie is quickly approaching 3 1/2 months this Sunday, and she has already put on 3lbs since we picked her up almost four weeks ago! It's amazing how fast she is growing and how much she is learning. She is one smart dog! 

Attempting Bierstadt

One tired pup on the way down

We (almost) did it!

I love her so

On the way down. Couldn't quite do it...

Raising Addie

Having a puppy is a challenging yet rewarding experience. I'm absolutely loving raising my little Addie, but I often find myself panicking that she is sick, or has fleas, or will never stop teething. She takes up just about all of my attention, which I give willingly, but I am nervous for when I have to start work next week and cannot be with her 24/7.  Luckily, my new job is only 4 miles away so I can easily come home during lunch!

Here are some photos of my little Addie. I am trying to capture her puppy hood as much as possible, because I know it goes by so fast. 

Obsessed

I'm afraid to admit this, but I think I'm obsessed with my puppy, Addie. Being funemployed, I get to spend all day with this little ball of fluff and I couldn't be more thrilled. Thrilled to wake up at 5 a.m. to take her out to pee. Thrilled to pick up her poops. PROUD when she poops! I'm clearly a crazy person, but I'm loving every minute. 

Like one of those overly-doting parents, I get so excited when she plays fetch, rolls on her back, pees outside, etc. I'm also convinced that she is the most well behaved puppy ever, and is likely the most adorable and intelligent. Whenever I take Addie outside, the second thing out of people's mouths (after, "awww!") is, "I bet you're not getting any sleep!" Wrong. She sleeps through the night without making a sound or having an accident. Winning! 

Things are so different with Addie compared to my dog growing up, that my mind is blown each day. I loved my family dog, Tamlorn, but he was a very shy and neurotic dog. We couldn't take him anywhere, he hated the car, he was shy around strangers, and he didn't like playing. We got him when he was 7 months old and the breeder did a terrible job of socializing him, so he was scarred for life. We tried different obedience and agility classes, and my parents even brought in a dog behavioral specialist, but he was who he was. He was a great dog for our family, but certainly had his issues. 

Addie, on the other hand, is such a dog dog. She loves playing with toys. She loves people and meeting other dogs. She can sleep anywhere, including in the car. She loves her crate. She loves getting petted all over. She is just the best. I think the big difference is that we got her at such a young age (10 weeks) and she came from a wonderful home. I'm excited to start puppy preschool with her on Saturday and to keep watching her learn and grow. I can already tell she is going to be my companion for life! 

Meet Addie

I've always loved animals. As a child, I wished so badly that I was a dog, or a cat, or a horse, or a lemur, or a snow leopard... the list goes on. I would beg my mom for pets all the time, and grew up raising rats, parakeets, a dog, a cat, and a bunny. It was the best!

After living away from home for the past 6 plus years without a pet, I was dying to add a fluffy companion to my life. Due to restrictions at my last place and knowing I would be moving, I decided to wait. Now, in Denver, that has changed! I know I'll be living here for at least 4 years and I can have pets at my rental. Hooray! Not to mention Denver is insanely pet friendly, and dogs are welcome at many restaurants, farmer's markets, parks, and breweries.

So at dusk on Saturday, Preston and I welcomed Addison Red to our home. She is a red merle Mini Australian Shepherd puppy, weighing in at 8lbs at eleven weeks of age. I am in love. 

I am pleased to introduce you to Addie!

A blog you love

As a very, very new blogger who is seemingly lacking motivation and imagination, it is really helpful for me to bop about from famous blog to famous blog and read recommendations on how to make your blog a success. I was just reading a post from A Beautiful Mess, and they had a suggestion that really resonated with me: "Write the blog you want to read." How genuine and simple - I love it.

I have been exhausted after work the past couple days, and just not feeling very inspired to post anything or to be creative. After reading this nugget of advice from ABM, the inspiration returned! So here I am, ready to write the blog that I want to read.

What am I interested in reading? I like authentic and relatable stories about life. Yep, that is really general and basic, but that's my jam. Whether the topic be fashion, food, friends, your dog, a weird encounter on the sidewalk, whatever, if it is real and honest, I'm game. If there is an element of inspiration in there, that is an added bonus.

So here is an honest and maybe mundane story for you, care of my ordinary life:

I was out on a walk in the park the other week with a friend. We turned a bend, and there, in its full tiny adorableness, was a puppy. Now, let me tell you, I have been yearning for a puppy for several months. Bad. It's like my hormones are kicking in or something, but for a baby dog rather than for a baby human. This is mostly fine by me, except for when I actually see a puppy; My heart starts racing. I get super excited and nervous all at once. I have no choice but to go over and request a to pet the darn thing. And, as if controlled by some force beyond me, I cry.

I am not one to cry in public. Ever. But when I see a puppy, I lose all control. The excitement and emotion and longing is just all too much, and the tears just start flowing. So on this day in the park with my friend, I just started crying in public because of a puppy. Was my friend super embarrassed of me? Likely. Did the owner think I was nuts? Probably. Did I get to pet the puppy? Oh, yes!

Hopefully I will get to realize my dream when I move to Denver, but who knows. Being a dog owner requires a lot of time, reliability, and responsibility, and I'm not sure how soon I will have a handle on all those things in a new city. Perhaps I shall simply be relegated to crying over puppies for a while to come.