Brody...Our Surfer

When people heard we were getting a lab back in January, we were given an onslaught of warnings.

"He'll destroy your kitchen table!"

"Get ready to replace at least $1000 in stuff"

"He'll eat you out of house and home."

and most memorably... "He'll be a counter surfer."

Jack is now pushing 90 pounds and is 30 inches at the shoulder. He is a horse! His nose easily peers over the dining room table and he could easily reach over the counter.

Now when Sean called me the other day to tell me a dog had pulled a chicken off the counter I would have assumed it was the counter surfer...finally surfing, but NO!

It was this guy...

Our Brodster...the 15 pound, no more than 10 inches at the shoulder Cairn terrier!

While the chicken was a lost cause...Brody was more than proud of himself...and we might add we were kind of proud of him too.

The Nation's Tri!

Today Sean completed his first Triathlon for the Nation's Tri! He did great! This had been a plan since last October so it was exciting to see him Patrick and Brandon finish! It was a super rainy day (are we surprised?) but it was fun to see them finish! Congratulations guys!!

Meet Bordeaux Quaker DeFrehn AKA Brody

Sometimes in life you don't find the things you need... they find you.

Since Abby passed, we knew that the best way to honor her life was to open our hearts to another dog. As good as that sounded, we didn't think it would be possible. I told Sean pretty soon after Abby died that I never wanted to go find another dog and that it would have to just walk onto our porch. Well when I inquired about a 7 month old Cairn, never did I imagine that two hours later it would be on my doorstep and its foster mom wouldn't be taking it home. Brody is much more than we could have asked for. Of course he is not Abby, but he is a carefree, and cuddly puppy who needed us just as much as we needed him. Welcome to the family Brody!

Things are Growing!

So while I have been busy inside editing pictures and getting no sun at all... Sean has become a farmer. Yes...on our itty bitty little spot of Gaitherburg, Sean is creating a very unconventional farm. Ok, well maybe the farm part is a stretch...That is left up to Farmer Jeff (He farms from China), but Sean has made our yard look amazing and has had some veggies to show for it. These were our first peas of the season and went well with Trader Joes lemon pepper pasta, mushrooms and homemade alfredo sauce! Yum!!

Big Changes

So we mentioned that the past few weeks have included lots of changes. Some obvious and some not so obvious. Well what we didn't mention is that I got a new job! I will be headed to the National Fatherhood Initiative as of June 24th and I am extremely excited. Not only is this a switch into the non-profit sector, but it is only a few minutes from our house. This means no more frustrating long hours in the car!!!! Yipee!!! I am excited to devote my passion and energy to this organization. I looking forward to the time it will provide me for SweetBee and all of my other endeavors and MOST imporantly more porch sitting time with Sean and the pooch:) Wouldn't you want to spend more time with that sweet face above???

Looking Ahead...

The past week has been tough. There is lot's of transition going on in our house. We are adjusting back to life with one dog and missing our little white one terribly. We have gone from absorbing the shock of it all, to having to comprehend exactly what we are missing. We are so greatful for all the loving cards, emails and prayers. We are trying to focus on exactly how happy Abby made us. I am convinced, of all dogs, Abby would be most upset over how many tears we have had since she left. Sometimes that is the only thing that makes our tears stop.

Jack seems relatively normal although it's obvious he does not like being home alone by himself and he has a lot more energy. Abby was the BEST baby sitter. Luckily, Pico, the neighbor dog has come over to play lots and has given us a break in his continuous desire to play. Strangely, we find Jack managing to make himself smaller and literally fit into places Abby used to be...ie...behind our legs on the couch and cuddling on our pillows... yes...our pillows. We are adjusting...or rather being forced to adjust, but have faith that we are being taken care of as is Abby.

On a lighter note, we have some brighter things on the horizon. And we look forward to brighter days ahead...

Abby

Today is a sad day in our house. Yesterday, Abby passed away. After some porch sitting, she darted around our friend who was on the top step and ran into the street where she was hit by a car. It happened so fast. She died instantly. It is difficult to put this in words and even more difficult to believe. We ask for everyone's prayers and hope that tonight you will hold your own animals a little tighter...especially if they are tiny and white.