Thursday, August 29, 2019
moving an office, boarding up a house and evacuating all in the same span of 5 days
Life is NOT fun here. We have moved my office, spent long nights doing this and long days, and tomorrow schools are being dismissed early at noon and everyone in Florida is evacuating the coast as a cat 4 hurricane is predicted to make landfall somewhere right around our county which keeps being named as the target, Indian River County, Florida. I am beyond fit to be tied and just spent 2000 today out of nowhere after paying to move and furnish an office to have our home boarded up and fresh plywood delivered before 9 am today. We are evacuating with the kids and labs to the lake house away from the coast and towards the middle of the state tomorrow after school gets out and after we finish tearing down the computers and printers we just moved into the new office. We will be safe no matter what we know how to do hurricanes but pray for our patience and sanity is all I can say. 2019 sure has been an overall rotten year.
Monday, August 26, 2019
suvriving life these days
It is nearly the end of August (good riddance this is not a fun month in Florida and we refer to it as our winter as it is so nasty out we stay inside a lot)...we are starting the third week of school and still trying to get acclimated to the middle school routine (the struggle is really real folks with Jackson) and my office is moving tomorrow (the struggle is also real there trying to work, practice law, manage people, pick paint colors, etc and carpet and buy furniture)…..and we have a HURRICANE out there. What the what. Say a prayer for our sanity this next week is all I can say. Oh, and we are also dealing with a crazy little puppy, Beau! Good thing he is cute he is a love but it is like having an 18 month old you cannot take him out of your view or else.....
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Meet our new lab puppy, Beau
***Scroll down to read the last few posts if you are following our trip we have finally posted all of our trip posts and some first day of school photos
Because our life was not quite busy enough with winding up summer, and preparing to start school, and with my office moving in two weeks and me training a new attorney that started July 22nd...we decided to adopt an 8 week old yellow lab puppy, Beau.
We were over at the lake for a few days before school started enjoying the last bit of summer and we have been on an email list serve for lab puppies for about a year. We wanted specifically what is called a "Dudley lab" with the lighter eyes and lighter nose just like Buckeye has. This is actually a genetic anomaly and not desired for breeders as they want only the traditional lab with dark eyes and a black nose but we are not breeding our dogs and because we got Buckeye like this and its pretty rare, we wanted another lab like this. One came up in a litter of 11 and we got the email. The breeder where we got him was in Ocala, a 3.5 hour drive north from the lake and also about equidistant to Vero. We had been trying to decide what sort of day trip to do that day as we had been at the lake a few days already and after some debate (ok lots on my end about the craziness of adopting a puppy at this time) we booked a holiday inn express with two rooms, and made sure it was pet friendly and all packed up in the car including Buckeye (no pet sitter over there and he was with us) and we headed north to Ocala. We have never been there and one of the cool things about this area of Florida is the crystal clear blue springs! They are all over the middle to northern area of Florida starting about 2-3 hours or so north of Orlando around Gainseville and north. Ocala is known for its horse ranches. Many really wealthy people have giant horse farms here and so we were curious to see not only the springs but also the horse farms. We got up there about 4 in the afternoon, checked into the hotel and visited nearby Silver Springs state park to get a glimpse of the clear blue springs. This would be a fun area of Florida to return to in the winter months to go kayaking or even camping in an RV. There are so many options with various state parks with these springs and they were beautiful! That night we explored downtown Ocala and had a great dinner in a cool restaurant we found on the downtown square (surprisingly there were some really nice spots here and shops as well as live music in the square on this Thursday night). The best treat however was on the way back to the hotel I caught a glance of houses that looked like the downtown area of Perrysburg. We turned around and went for a slow drive through one of the prettiest areas of Florida I have ever seen.
That night we went to bed with lot of excitement as we would be going to pick out our new puppy the next morning! We were scheduled to meet the breeder at the vet she uses for the puppies and we had to make the hard decision between a girl or a boy and I said ABSOLUTELY we cannot take them both sadly. There is no way we can manage three labs, sheesh. I did some reading and it seemed that the boy labs are more loving and loyal to their owners, although can be harder to train and the girls are known for being more independent smart, and can be moody and standoffish (sounded all in all about right)!! Sarabeth was bent on getting the girl and of course Jack wanted the boy. I said lets just see how the puppies react to us and I bet we will know which one is right for our family. Sure enough that next morning when we got there it was not a hard choice as the little boy puppy was literally leaping out of the bin to get to the kids while the little girl hung back and was much more shy. It was brutal having to take only one I will say that but we quickly decided the boy was our dog (never mind all in all this seemed easier since we already have a dog and I did not want an early biology lesson based on some things the breeder said could happen until we could get the girl spade (not til at least her first heat or maybe even the second) so that sealed the deal for me to take the boy! They said its also easier to adopt girls for whatever reason so we know she probably already has been adopte and has a great home. Our new baby (still was not named at this point) got his first vet exam and then came home to the lake with us (3.5 hours back in the car) and we started to settle in and decided to name him Beau. We went back and forth with Brutus, and Tucker and Sawyer but Tucker sounded too much like Buckeye or Buck with Tuck and Buck so we ruled that out and then just decided we liked Beau.
Those first few nights I was reminded of the way I felt when we had a newborn. The poor baby would not sleep the first night at all unless he was next to us or Buckeye and Buckeye was still not so sure about this imposter yet so he ended up sleeping in my arms the whole night. I also remembered its exhausting to potty train a puppy, Buckeye is 5 and I think I blocked out this memory! Good thing he is so stinking cute is all I can say. The next morning which was a Saturday waking up at the lake we decided to go home back to Vero as we had to get settled at home with the dog and get ready for school to start that coming Monday!!! It was exhausting but we had so much fun getting to know our new fur baby that weekend. We all took turns watching him (you cannot let him out of site or he is sure to have an accident or get into something he is not supposed to have etc.) and we set up gates around the dining room and piano so he cannot wreck the furniture and also made a doggy play pen in the kitchen so we have a safe place to put him in the event no one can directly watch him. He is not allowed upstairs (he cannot do the stairs yet anyways he is too small) but if he did get up he could fall through the rungs as he is that small...scary. This is not a baby safe or puppy safe house! We also had to teach him to swim and where the pool edges and steps are on day one at home...also a scare factor but he can definitely swim (although does not like it yet) he can at least get himself to the step to get nearly out (he is so small he can't clear the step yet but can at least get to the edge to stand up.
He has the sweetest little cries and the sweetest little puppy breath and soft fuzzy fur. He accompanied me to work all last week and the whole office just loves him. He is too small to stay home all day as he has to eat 4 times a day in small increments, and has to go out a lot, can't hold it all day like a bigger dog. He loves to go to work and mostly sleeps and grows all day!!! Buckeye is really taking to him and will now let him lay with him (all that little Beau wants to do is lay with Buck) and he follows Buck everywhere and gets so excited whenever he sees him. I think this little guy hit a home run for a lab as far as adoptions go...he has a big brother dog to play with, and two loving kids that adore him as well as a pool and lake to play in!! Here are some pictures of Beau settling in with our family!
Because our life was not quite busy enough with winding up summer, and preparing to start school, and with my office moving in two weeks and me training a new attorney that started July 22nd...we decided to adopt an 8 week old yellow lab puppy, Beau.
We were over at the lake for a few days before school started enjoying the last bit of summer and we have been on an email list serve for lab puppies for about a year. We wanted specifically what is called a "Dudley lab" with the lighter eyes and lighter nose just like Buckeye has. This is actually a genetic anomaly and not desired for breeders as they want only the traditional lab with dark eyes and a black nose but we are not breeding our dogs and because we got Buckeye like this and its pretty rare, we wanted another lab like this. One came up in a litter of 11 and we got the email. The breeder where we got him was in Ocala, a 3.5 hour drive north from the lake and also about equidistant to Vero. We had been trying to decide what sort of day trip to do that day as we had been at the lake a few days already and after some debate (ok lots on my end about the craziness of adopting a puppy at this time) we booked a holiday inn express with two rooms, and made sure it was pet friendly and all packed up in the car including Buckeye (no pet sitter over there and he was with us) and we headed north to Ocala. We have never been there and one of the cool things about this area of Florida is the crystal clear blue springs! They are all over the middle to northern area of Florida starting about 2-3 hours or so north of Orlando around Gainseville and north. Ocala is known for its horse ranches. Many really wealthy people have giant horse farms here and so we were curious to see not only the springs but also the horse farms. We got up there about 4 in the afternoon, checked into the hotel and visited nearby Silver Springs state park to get a glimpse of the clear blue springs. This would be a fun area of Florida to return to in the winter months to go kayaking or even camping in an RV. There are so many options with various state parks with these springs and they were beautiful! That night we explored downtown Ocala and had a great dinner in a cool restaurant we found on the downtown square (surprisingly there were some really nice spots here and shops as well as live music in the square on this Thursday night). The best treat however was on the way back to the hotel I caught a glance of houses that looked like the downtown area of Perrysburg. We turned around and went for a slow drive through one of the prettiest areas of Florida I have ever seen.
That night we went to bed with lot of excitement as we would be going to pick out our new puppy the next morning! We were scheduled to meet the breeder at the vet she uses for the puppies and we had to make the hard decision between a girl or a boy and I said ABSOLUTELY we cannot take them both sadly. There is no way we can manage three labs, sheesh. I did some reading and it seemed that the boy labs are more loving and loyal to their owners, although can be harder to train and the girls are known for being more independent smart, and can be moody and standoffish (sounded all in all about right)!! Sarabeth was bent on getting the girl and of course Jack wanted the boy. I said lets just see how the puppies react to us and I bet we will know which one is right for our family. Sure enough that next morning when we got there it was not a hard choice as the little boy puppy was literally leaping out of the bin to get to the kids while the little girl hung back and was much more shy. It was brutal having to take only one I will say that but we quickly decided the boy was our dog (never mind all in all this seemed easier since we already have a dog and I did not want an early biology lesson based on some things the breeder said could happen until we could get the girl spade (not til at least her first heat or maybe even the second) so that sealed the deal for me to take the boy! They said its also easier to adopt girls for whatever reason so we know she probably already has been adopte and has a great home. Our new baby (still was not named at this point) got his first vet exam and then came home to the lake with us (3.5 hours back in the car) and we started to settle in and decided to name him Beau. We went back and forth with Brutus, and Tucker and Sawyer but Tucker sounded too much like Buckeye or Buck with Tuck and Buck so we ruled that out and then just decided we liked Beau.
Those first few nights I was reminded of the way I felt when we had a newborn. The poor baby would not sleep the first night at all unless he was next to us or Buckeye and Buckeye was still not so sure about this imposter yet so he ended up sleeping in my arms the whole night. I also remembered its exhausting to potty train a puppy, Buckeye is 5 and I think I blocked out this memory! Good thing he is so stinking cute is all I can say. The next morning which was a Saturday waking up at the lake we decided to go home back to Vero as we had to get settled at home with the dog and get ready for school to start that coming Monday!!! It was exhausting but we had so much fun getting to know our new fur baby that weekend. We all took turns watching him (you cannot let him out of site or he is sure to have an accident or get into something he is not supposed to have etc.) and we set up gates around the dining room and piano so he cannot wreck the furniture and also made a doggy play pen in the kitchen so we have a safe place to put him in the event no one can directly watch him. He is not allowed upstairs (he cannot do the stairs yet anyways he is too small) but if he did get up he could fall through the rungs as he is that small...scary. This is not a baby safe or puppy safe house! We also had to teach him to swim and where the pool edges and steps are on day one at home...also a scare factor but he can definitely swim (although does not like it yet) he can at least get himself to the step to get nearly out (he is so small he can't clear the step yet but can at least get to the edge to stand up.
He has the sweetest little cries and the sweetest little puppy breath and soft fuzzy fur. He accompanied me to work all last week and the whole office just loves him. He is too small to stay home all day as he has to eat 4 times a day in small increments, and has to go out a lot, can't hold it all day like a bigger dog. He loves to go to work and mostly sleeps and grows all day!!! Buckeye is really taking to him and will now let him lay with him (all that little Beau wants to do is lay with Buck) and he follows Buck everywhere and gets so excited whenever he sees him. I think this little guy hit a home run for a lab as far as adoptions go...he has a big brother dog to play with, and two loving kids that adore him as well as a pool and lake to play in!! Here are some pictures of Beau settling in with our family!
The pictures don't even do justice to how small Beau was at 8 weeks just a week ago when we adopted him! He only weighed 7.5 pounds and will grow to be at least 80-100 or so!! We got Buckeye at 16 weeks a big difference so we never got to see him so tiny. We are really enjoying getting to know our little Beau!!
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