LifeofBobbi.com

First of all, thanks for all of your suggestions regarding acne cures!  I read all of them and am definitely going to try a few out.

Did I mention I bought a bike and have been using it to get to and from campus?  I bought a relatively cheap mountain bike from Walmart a couple weeks ago and absolutely love it.  It was a little rough getting used to biking almost 2.5 miles to and from campus, but it’s also really invigorating.  It’s nice because my commute doubles as my exercise for the day!  I come home really sweaty and gross, but I don’t care - I’m not really trying to impress anyone, lol.

The wedding was beautiful.  It was a very casual, laid back wedding and we all really enjoyed the four days we spent together.  I almost went parasailing, but chickened out at the last minute; damn my anxiety!  Maybe I’ll try it another time :).  We also tried out a few bars in HH - interesting stories that I wish I could share, but some things are just better left unsaid.  Just think - what normally happens on a night with lots of drinking and college students?

Hunter will not stop GROWING.  He’s over 30 lbs now and Tom and I both think he grew during the four days we were gone for the wedding.  Apparently he was quite the socialite at our friends’ houses.  He’s kind of a handful right now - moreso than before - because if we say no, he barks and runs around so we’ll chase him.  I wish I knew The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan, on a personal level.  He’d be on my cell phone speed dial!

Time to do some reading and prepare for my morning class.  I’ve still got to make my lunch, too.  I’ll leave you with a sweet picture of Romeo and Hunter (I really caught them like this, it was not posed).

Before I start this, don’t freak out!  I am NOT anywhere NEAR having a baby.  It’s going to happen WAY, WAY, WAY in the future.  It’s just fun to think about!

It’s not even the baby part that’s fun to think about; don’t get me wrong, when I think about being a mom and having my own baby, I get very excited!  But what excites me even more is the shopping and preparations that come with being a mom.  I absolutely love decorating, so when the time comes to buy baby bedding, I’ll be in seventh heaven.

Of course, I know there are other parts of parenthood that are not so fun, but rewarding nonetheless.  It’s really fun to think about the future.  I always wonder how many kids we’ll end up having, what they’ll be like, and how life will be many years from now.  I can’t wait!

…You’re one hell of a dedicated reader!

On the puppy front: Hunter has adjusted SO WELL to being with us.  We haven’t had an accident in several days and after four times of teaching “sit” he already knows the command!  He’s fairly good at coming when he is called, and sleeps a lot in the afternoons after he’s been worn out during play time.  He’s still pretty afraid of cars and any loud noises outside (ex. last night there was a weed wacker across the street from where we were walking, and he wouldn’t budge for a good 10 minutes).  We’re working on the fear, though - not forcing the issue, but slowly making progress.  At the vet yesterday, Hunter was an angel (according to Tom).  He weighs 18 lbs, has a tiny case of hookworm (apparently pretty common in puppies, but an extremely mild case), and is more like 16 weeks old, not 13 like we thought.  He has one more shot and then he’ll be done with puppy shots altogether.  We absolutely ADORE him even when he’s misbehaving.  I’ve been working with him on biting (when he’s playing he gets a little rough sometimes) and that’s going well.  He also met Tom’s mom, sister and nephew last weekend - he LOVED playing with a two year old little boy (who loved playing with the puppy).

On the move front: I turned in the keys to the old apartment yesterday.  WHAT A RELIEF.  I am so glad to be out of that tiny place.  Our apartment now is much bigger, and I’m happy to say that we’re 100% moved in and unpacked.  We’ve had maintenance in here fixing the small stuff - they have been very quick and happy to help with whatever we’ve needed.  So far, I really like this complex and am pleased with the people working here and the neighbors.  There are no noise problems, either!

On the school front: I am almost finished with my ASL 2 class.  I have a project due next week along with my SCPI (basically an interview with my professor which will determine my level of proficiency in the language).  I am taking ASL 3 in the fall (I think I mentioned this already) and am excited about it!  I’ve been thinking a lot lately about law school, the LSAT, etc. etc.  I’m thinking about getting my MBA.  I’d love to get my MBA and law degree at the same time, so I’m looking into that at the moment.  I still need to retake my LSAT, though.

On the family front: My older sister and her daughter came to Florida to visit last week.  We had a ton of fun going to theme parks and visiting our aunt and uncle.  I also made a birthday cake for her (her birthday was Sunday, the day they left) that she ended up having for breakfast because she liked it so much the night before!  I’m hoping we’ll be able to get out and visit them in Texas more often.  Time and money are scarce for me right now, but I plan on really making an effort.  Family is so important and I’d hate to lose that relationship.

Man, I’m stuffed.  A friend and I went out for lunch to catch up (since we haven’t seen each other in forever!) and I ate too much.  Now I have to do a little bit of homework and start some laundry before class.  Thankfully, I have started to be on a fairly normal work schedule again.  The office is pretty happy about that - with everything going on this summer, I’ve been a bit unreliable.  Thankfully, though, they understand, and my work doesn’t make it necessary for me to be there at the same time or same day as the previous week.

Finally, the day has come where we move OUT of this tiny, one bedroom apartment and upgrade to a two bedroom with a fenced in backyard (and where people don’t die in our apartment pool - but that’s a whole ‘nother story!). I’ve actually got about 3 hours before we can get the keys, so I’m somewhat relaxed. I plan to do the dishes, read a little, and study in the next three hours. Hunter and Romeo are both sound asleep and the only noise in my apartment is the fishtank because it’s low on water (easier to move when it’s like that).

Sometimes, I go through tough times. Nothing particularly bad goes on in my life, I just don’t always have the most positive attitude. In the past several weeks, I’ve realized how easy it is for me to go from being in a great mood to seriously hating my life. It’s like someone has flipped a switch, and that concerns me.

But to be honest, I have so much to be thankful for. I have a wonderful family - despite the major drama we have going on from time to time - they are supportive of me and only want what is best for me. I wouldn’t be who I am today without Tom. I can’t wait to take on his last name and make our relationship the most official it can be. My little kitty cat makes me so happy, too - he knows just how to cheer me up. I really think animals know when you’re sad or upset, even if you’re not outwardly showing it. This new little puppy is already very protective of Tom and I, too.

School is going well, I have the most amazing friends a girl could ask for, my bills are paid, there’s food on the table. I have a good job, go to a GREAT university, and have spent the last three years of my life living it up and enjoying myself immensely. I’ve grown a lot, and learned even more about myself than I ever could imagine.

With all of that being said, why shouldn’t I be more positive? I need to learn to push the negative thoughts away - as I just demonstrated, there is no reason to have the negative thoughts. There’s nothing about me that needs to change - maybe minor things, like not cursing so much or getting more exercise - but I’m not a bad person. I am compassionate, helpful, genuine, and trustworthy. Daily, I need to remind myself of this because in some cases where confidence is essential, I’m being held back. Considering the way my life is right now, why shouldn’t I be more confident?

Everything is going so well!  Tom and I took Hunter to a local dog park yesterday.  He’s funny when he’s on a leash - he doesn’t walk ahead of you, and frequently stops behind you and just parks it.  Then, when you call him and tug on his leash slightly, he comes RUNNING up to you at full force!  When we got to the park, there were several other large dogs who ran up to him.  We decided it was a good idea to let him socialize a little bit (if the other dogs came up to him, fine, but we weren’t pushing).  One of the dogs wanted to smell Hunter, but he kept running away, which caused the other dog to start chasing him.  A couple puppy barks later, he came running to hide behind Tom.  It was sad and sweet at the same time.  We continued to throw his ball and walk the perimeter of the park (this time, away from the other dogs - there were two full sized pit bulls running around and we were a little afraid of them).  When we got home, he was tired out (of course!) but so were we.

He gulped almost a full bowl of water when we got home, took maybe four steps, and peed.  Oops!  We hadn’t learned his signs of needing to potty yet, but now we do.  He has piddled a little a couple more times, but nothing significant.  I think the best job he has done so far with potty training is waking Tom up to go out in the middle of the night - he didn’t have a single accident!  We attempted to put him in his crate for the night, but he barked and whined.  Since it was a long, hard day for him we figured we’d hold off (and try to find more information on crate training so we did it the right way).  Needless to say, Tom slept on the couch, Hunter next to the couch, and Romeo and I in bed.  We’re trying really hard to give Romeo an equal amount of attention and ensure he knows that he can still be in the same places he was allowed (and enjoyed) before the puppy came along.  Romeo seems a little bit upset still, but is adjusting well.  He and Hunter have rubbed noses a few times, and although there has been some hissing, we don’t expect any problems (usually Hunter just comes up to Romeo too quickly and that’s why he hisses).

With that said, do ya’ll have any advice on crate training for puppies?  I found one web site that seems very informative - click here - but I’d also like some more personal suggestions/ideas.  We also went to Petsmart earlier and bought a puppy book.  I know that sounds dumb but I really wanted to impress upon Tom the necessity to train and raise our puppy properly.  Since he has never had a puppy before, I figured a book would be good because he can bring it to work and use it whenever he wants to know something about the puppy.  The internet is a great resource, too, and I keep reminding him of that.  I don’t want to spoil Hunter’s perfection.  This dog is literally perfect, and I’m not just saying that because he’s mine!  He doesn’t nip like most puppies do, he’s SO! happy and affectionate, is already recognizing his name, and stops doing whatever it is he’s doing when we tell him to stop.  I’m truly amazed at this dog.