A Companion for Franklin?...

For the past three years,  probably... maybe longer, my husband and I have debated getting another dog. We debate the ins and outs of a new dog, like who is going to get up in the middle of the night to take the puppy out, or how do you crate train one dog while the other one stays free, or how do we keep Franklin from being jealous. 


Most of the questions we debate are easily answered, which is why we think an older dog would be ideal, but for me, my biggest concern is Franklin. How will a new dog affect my little guy. How will we bring another dog into Franklin's house and make him understand that this dog is here for good. I worry about other things like size compatibility and temperament and sleeping arrangements... and.... and... and..., it could go on forever. The idea of getting another dog is exhausting and we haven't even moved beyond the discussion phase. 


I imagine these are the same kind of conversations that people have before they have another child. Although I am not comparing my dog to a kid, he is like a kid to me and I worry about his well-being and happiness.  


**As a side note, my blog has really become a Franklin blog but I promise that there will be more than just Franklin happening around our house as soon as Spring gets here. 

Winter Olympics {Around the House} ...

The next two weeks will be a very exciting time around our house... it's Winter Olympics time. My husband loves the Olympics in general, but he is definitely more infatuated with the Winter version. I admit, I enjoy the Olympics too. I find it amazing that snowboarders can be as graceful as figure skaters - I've been snowboarding and trust me, I was not graceful - how hard on the knees the moguls must be and how devoted these athletes are to their sports even though they do not earn the multi-million dollar salaries that other athletes do.

Even as I watch these athletes in wonder, I am nowhere near the fan that my husband is. He was positively giddy as short-track Speed Skating started on Saturday night and last night as the American's raced in the finale of Snowboardcross he was yelling the play-by-play to me as I watched Franklin from our doorway as he went outside to go to the bathroom. Occasionally, Franklin will look at me in disgust as his Popi jumps off the couch and yells at the t.v.. I simply tell him that it's Olympics week and even though I don't think he really understands, he seems to accept that as a good answer and walks away. Happy Winter Olympics everyone!

Snow hibernation...

After the big snowstorm last weekend, the D.C. area was blanketed again last Monday with more snow. My house ended up with an additional 10 inches, which brought our total to... well.... a lot. With all the snow on the ground and the roads, Franklin, my husband and I went into hibernation mode. 

Very little was done around our house last week. We made dinner a few nights, but mostly ate leftovers and frozen pizza's, I think I vacuumed once and did the dishes once or twice. It was nice to have a week full of nothing to do and nowhere to go, but next time that we have 7 days together with nothing going on, I would like to go on a vacation to somewhere warm with frozen drinks instead of staying inside with three feet of snow outside.

Today, though, we decided to leave the house and rejoin civilization. The roads are decent around town, but it's iffy going into our neighborhood. Poor Franklin is still a little traumatized by the snow when it comes to going outside to go to the bathroom and I know he missed his dog walking pals this week. Hopefully, all of this beautiful snow will continue to melt and in it's place flowers will bloom. But, until then, it looks like we are going to get more snow in a few days. *Sigh*  

*These pictures were taken on a Winter day a few weeks ago when it was sunny and much warmer. 

Snowpocalypse Day 2...

Last night, we let Franklin out to go to the bathroom before bed and the snow was already up to his belly. The look he gave us was one of complete annoyance. Since then, we have had many, many more inches of snow. My husband and doggie went out this morning to shovel more snow. This kind of turned into a block party with all of our neighbors joining in the shoveling fun. Franklin and his favorite doggie friend, Kaya, played in the snow and had a great time. While the boys were outside freezing, I stayed inside and made a bacon and cheese quiche and homemade hot cocoa. Yum....

This afternoon, the boys braved the cold once again to shovel the driveway. Although Franklin was exhausted, he jumped up the second that I asked him if he wanted to go outside again. I'm not sure what the total numbers are right now. But, I know that we have a lot of snow and we are running out of places to put it. 

Road trip...

Happy Monday everyone! A few weeks back, I met my younger (I don't use little because he is not little and has never been) brother in Auburn, AL. We went to Auburn to explore the town and of course, Auburn University. My brother, who has already had a life full of experiences in his short 25 years, has been accepted to Auburn to continue with his Marine Biology degree. 

We had such a fun time running around town and exploring what BB's (Baby Boy is my nickname for him, it is something that my Mom still calls him) life will be like beginning Fall 2010. We both loved the town, the people and of course the campus. Everyone was so nice and just excited to be at Auburn. 

This is BB in front of one of the Science buildings. He will spend most of his time in the four Science buildings, which look really new and fancy. This will be a wonderful place for him to continue to learn about marine life and indulge in his favorite past time, scuba diving. 

I'm really excited for my brother and a little jealous that he is going to Auburn. I've already gone through all of the school that I want to go through, but I have to admit that while we were in Auburn, part of me wanted to go back. Going to the campus bookstore, the student center, and seeing the football stadium made me long for the seemingly carefree college life, and definitely made me want to go back to school. When I texted my husband and told him I wanted to go to Auburn, his reply was "I thought that might happen." All I could do was smile and know that my days at school are over for now. But, I can't wait to go back to Auburn to visit BB and watch some SEC football. 

Doggie Tales...

Yesterday morning I was running around the house unpacking things and putting stuff away, when I turned around and saw Franklin dreaming about his farm dog days. From October until last week, Franklin had been able to go outside whenever he wanted and run on a nine acre farm with two other farm dogs and a farm cat.  He was in heaven as he bounded up the hills with his ears flapping in the wind and his nose in the air smelling all of the new and different smells. The snow didn't hurt his enthusiasm for country living either.

When I saw him staring out the window yesterday, I know he was wanting someone to let him out so he could freely run, smell and pee on everything he could find. I know adjusting to city life again will take some time for him, so in the mean time my goal is to take him to the dog park more often and to take him on more walks. I think this is the least I can do since he has been such a trooper over the hardest months of our lives.

During our most trying times, he was a protector, a comforter, a snuggler, an entertainer, and just a really great dog. So here is to more walks and more trips to the dog park in 2010. I hope everyone has a great New Year and has someone, even if it's a dog, who is all of these things to you.  Happy New Year!

Putting life back together

Two days ago, I walked into my home for the first time in almost 11 weeks. As I drove through my neighborhood I was amazed how surreal everything looked. I had thought about this moment for weeks and wondered how I would feel as I walked back into my life. Physically speaking very little had changed in our neighborhood. But, as I sat in my car in the garage I teared up. I was thankful to be home but also nervous about what the future holds.

As I sat there, I thought about how much my husband and I have both grown and matured. Really, I think even our dog has matured. He went from a city dog to a farm dog. Although I know he loved being a farm dog, he reverted back to his city dog roots and come inside when it got cold or rainy or was anything less than abundantly sunny.

Going back to human growth in unfortunate circumstances...my husband and I don't have kids, and besides our super-fantastic dog, we haven't really had anything to take care so when it became apparent that we were going to be the main care takers for my husband's mom as she struggled with and eventually succumbed to lung cancer it forced us both to grow up. It forced us to really put other people first and be more patient and understanding people. For me, this experience has made me a more empathetic and compassionate person and with the new year coming up my goal is to continue these traits.

I would also like to remember everyday to be thankful. Not everyday will be perfect and in fact, some will be downright hard but there is always something to be thankful for.

Thankful for...

Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so. 

-Robert Green Ingersoll

It's been a while since I've posted and a lot has changed in my life. My family and I have lost an important member of our family, a main pillar really. And while we are still searching for meaning in all of this and trying to develop a new sense of normal, it's also still  important for all of us to remember what we are thankful for. Today, I am thankful for family. 

My husband and I have a great family who has pulled together to help us care for his Mom while she was battling Stage 4 metastatic lung cancer. With the help of hospice we were able to care for her at home and make her as comfortable as possible, but that didn't make the situation easier.  Since my mother-in-law passed away our family has remained strong and supportive of one another. 

As we prepare to travel home after the holidays, the memories I hope take with me from the past few months is how our families have supported us and when we were weak they were strong and vice versa. I also hope that we always remember that although this has been a difficult time, we are blessed to have one another.