{Catch Up}

 Jumbled thoughts in no particular order:
1. I'm cold. I really do alright with winter. considerably more so than with the summer heat, ESPECIALLY better than the summer we spent in Suzhou. I don't know, something about this lingering cold weather has just seemed to affect my mood, my behavior and my motivation to get up and do. There have been a couple of spectacularly mild days sprinkled in and I have taken full advantage of the vitamin D and serotonin boosts that the sun has to offer.  Maybe that's it, I'm just not getting enough sun.

2. Jeff's gone... a lot. Every time I get a twinge of frustration about it I remind myself that it was MY brilliant idea to encourage him to take up this job, and that it is benefiting us. I do get to keep regular contact with him, and I'm doing fine, but it has been a decided adjustment. After two years of nearly constant companionship with the same person, I'm almost having to re-learn what it's like to be independent again. Not to say that I was too co-dependent - but there is definitely a change to how you live and behave when you're in a partnership as opposed to living wholly on your own 3 1/2 weeks out of the month.

3. Cooper has a case of the clingy. Even the trainer that we work with made a comment the other day that she found it remarkable the bond he's been forming with me as the weeks progress. He's very particular, although friendly with everyone. He really does have a hard time listening to others, and if someone gives him instruction, he always looks to me for approval first. It's made training both easier, and much more difficult all at the same time. He is generally eager to please, but some aspects of training, like staying as I walk away to a good distance, is a continuing struggle and forces him out of his comfort zone.

4. SO.MUCH.MOVING. At the end of February as Jeff left to start his job, I moved back into my parents home and out of our town house, and moved all of our things into a storage unit. My dad bought a farm in Monticello, and was supposed to move out a month ago , but due to an oversight didn't move until this weekend. Poor Jeff was home for three days and each of those days was spent helping load, unload, load some more and unload, and set up right up until he had to leave again. He's a good sport. We managed to get the majority of Dad's belongings to the farm, as well as get everything of ours out of storage and into the house. It was a long, tiring weekend for everyone and left us all more tired than when it began. Over the next couple of weeks I'll finish purging, unpacking, arranging, and returning the house to a state of normalcy.

5. WE got a new bed. I'm positive this isn't half as interesting to anyone else as it is to me, but I'm elated. After spending a year as two fat people in China, Jeff and I have developed a deep respect for well made mattresses. They certainly weren't built in China to handle our size... and with Jeff's dilapidated back, it was a long year of mediocre to restless sleep. It has been a markable difference to have a solid, supportive, and comfortable bed that makes for substantial and restful nights sleep.

- Ashley

{Merrily We Roll Along}

Sometimes, I just feel stumped on how to start or focus on a post. There ARE things I'd like to talk about, but my thoughts don't always organize themselves the way I'd like. This leads to frustration, and gaps in my writing. Which of course, leads to more frustration.

Ah well.

We keep our selves busy and ever so slightly chaotic, as usual. Life is never boring for us, even though I think we'd like it to be once and a while. Jeff's gone for several weeks at a time, getting started on his new job, and is excelling at it, not that I had any doubts about that. It's really tough having him absent so often, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. I teased him the other day by explaining that all I really need to do is pretend he doesn't exist and go back to living life like when I was single. I still don't understand what he got so huffy...

Things here in Lexington are in a state of flux. My dad bought a farm in Monticello where he's going to relocate to, and Tyler, (Jeff), and I are taking over the Lexington house. The mortgage is paid off so all we have to handle will be the utilities and incidental bills. Tyler is working on getting into school, and finding gainful employment after returning from his mission and will take the upstairs, which really is already set up much like an apartment, and Jeff and I will maintain the down stairs, which does much of the same thing. It works out great for us because Tyler will  be able to save on living expenses as he starts school and his life as a semi-grown up ( man, I miss college), and Jeff and I can continue to save up for future expenses planned, as well as whittle away at our debts.

It's a great ideal, and we'll get to it eventually. UNTIL then, however, life is a little more hectic. Currently, We're sharing the house with Dad as he packs and prepares to move, my things are in storage, and I'm occupying one of the smaller rooms upstairs. As we all got excited for the closing date yesterday, Dad realized the day before that he had missed the clause in the contract where he had to wait 30 days after closing to move in. It... was a grumpy day in our house. As much as we all love each other, it's a bit cramped, disheveled, and calls had to be made to re-coordinate moving assistance. We'll get through it, hopefully with a stronger sense of patience.

My job is starting to pick up... slowly. I've got 7 clients now, and I'm now trying to figure out how to juggle and multi-task as the case loads get complicated. I love what I do though, and if I could just learn to get over my well ingrained sense of procrastination, I'd be really, really fantastic it.

Cooper is doing pretty well, too, so far. Today he gets to graduate from his first set of obedience classes. Aside from my dad's uncanny ability to negate anything I do with training, he's learning fast, and seems to really enjoy the bonding we get from it. He's a GREAT travel companion, and has already made the trips to Ashland and Bowling Green with me without complaint, and has already gotten to interact with some of my clients. He loves the attention and it's a lot of fun to see how happy he makes others. I really look forward to getting him certified, and seeing his progress as we go along.

I'm So ready for spring. So ready for warmer, sunnier days, and windows down road trips!

What are you excited for?

-Ashley

{Cooper}

As much as Jeff cursed and grumbled about Jack, his stubborness, his inexplicable ability to find what made Jeff tick, He really did love that little bag of fur. When we knew we had to give him away, I chickened out and hid behind work, leaving Jeff to shoulder the awful task of physically handling the transfer from one owner to the other. Those who don't know Jeff on a personal level see a big boistrous and charismatic man's man. The rest of us who know him a little better know him to be a deceptively big teddy bear. While he'll fiercly deny it to keep whatever reputation he thinks he has, he likes romance, tender moments, and is deeply sensitive. On our wedding day, HE cried first. While I was sad to let Jack go, I knew he'd be fine, and we'd move on. Jeff handled it a lot harder.

I started itching for a new furry friend soon after we got back into Kentucky. I missed Jack, and missed having canine devotion in our lives. Jeff shot the idea down. Several times. Emphatically. He gave me every reason under the sun, but mostly, he wasn't ready to have another dog after giving away one so soon.

Still, I'm persistent. Eventually, asking enough, geting the right timing, and have a husband as awesome as mine,  I managed to get him to agree to looking for a new dog.  There was online browsing, and some visits to the humane society. On a particularly bad day at work, Jeff kidnapped me for the afternoon, and we spent it petting kittens and puppies (smart husband, right? ).  That afternoon we found one dog that caught our eye. Bonnie was a sweeheart, and smart. We left, excited to think about whether or not we wanted to adopt her. Things didn't quite line up, and we didn't go back. We were disappointed.

A couple of weeks ago we went through another transition. Jeff was working two jobs, working 70 hours a week, and exhausting himself. After a turn of events, discussion, and contemplation, He took a new job. He's is going to be gone, a lot, for the next year. It's not our favorite decision, but will be something that will help us now and for the long run. Still, as I told a friend, marriage has somehow made me into a more codependent person than I remember myself being, and the thought of Jeff being gone three weeks at a time has been somewhat difficult to process. The day we made the decision, we had lunch with my dad to talk it over. Jeff went back to work. I went to pet puppies.

Initially, I walked passed Cooper. I had a concept of what I was looking for my mind and was seeking out specific breeds. I stopped at one dog who looked perfect. I walked him and took him into a quiet room to try to get to know him. He wanted nothing to do with me. NOTHING. His temperment was all wrong, and he was far to interested in what all the other dogs were doing to give any attention to me. I roamed through the place, made the ritual stop in the puppy room, and then had the inkling to circle back to Cooper. For some reason, he was the ONLY dog that I had taken a picture of to send Jeff ( for approval), and seemed to warrant a second look. He gave the impression that he was a little coy, but interested. He patiently waited for me to open his gate, quite unlike his cell mate, and attentively walked with me to the meet and greet room. In the first five minutes together, he was on his back, in my lap, doling out kisses. An hour later, I was sold, smitten, and determined to bring him home. Jeff somewhat begrudgingly came over to the shelter to give his seal of approval, and agreed he was a pretty fantastic pup.

We charged to the desk to fill out papers, grins on our faces, only to be told that we couldn't take him because of some confusion over our residence. I left frustrated, peeved, brokenhearted. From what I've been told, I was apparently short tempered, and pouty the rest of the night. The following day was meant to be spent getting things in order for Jeff to head out of town for training the following week. I went to work to get a few things done, and to wait for Jeff to bring some things to fax. Hours later, and annoyed that he was taking hours longer than he said he would, I was out of patience when he walked in. Which is probably why it took me a solid 30 seconds to process that he had a dog, Cooper, with him... in my office.

Apparently he had spent the entire morning arguing with the girl at the humane society, her boss, and her boss's boss until they let him leave with Cooper. How could I stay frustrated with a man that shows up with a dog when he's late? I spent the rest of the day off kilter and completely thrown off schedule.

And so here I am, with a long legged pile of fur who insists on being involved with everything, is eager to please, with a stubborn streak a mile long when it comes to doing something that isn't what he wants. He's affectionate, patient, and protective. He makes Jeff's absense a little easier, and gives me something to focus on so that I don't over think the more stressful things going on right now.

I'm glad I took my time finding him, and even more so that he's here with me. While I'm happy with my life, this next stretch isn't going to be the easiest, and I look forward to having the unconditional comfort he offers with me on a daily basis when Jeff can't be. Goodness knows I'm going to need it.

-Ashley

{Changes}

Changes have been a common theme in our lives. I suppose it's one of those things that connects people together.

Jeff took a job this week. The events leading up to it are complicated, and honestly going into detail right now would lead to saying some particularly unkind things toward another, and I don't believe putting those kind of things in writing out of anger... so, suffice it to say, it's a long story.

This job is out of state, and involves three weeks of "training"... unpaid... so to speak. He'll get a signing bonus after, which is great, but in the mean time, we just aren't going to be able to make ends meet. So, this weekend was spent packing up our apartment so that I can move things into a storage unit for the next month or so, until we're settled into where we were already planning on moving (another story for another time).

It's another bittersweet move. Jeff will be gone for three to six weeks, I'll have to handle a lot of things on my own, and not to get overly mushy, I'm going to miss the big guy. But, he'll have a steady job, making decent money, and we'll be able to continue to save up for future plans.

If a new job, packing and moving weren't enough, Jeff also had one more surprise up his sleeve. Part anniversary gift, part companion in his absense, part "I'm tired of saying no", lead him to show up at my office with an adorable striped, spotted and very sweet gift.

 Introducing: Cooper.
Super affectionate, energetic, but a fantastic couch buddy. Prefers balls above all other forms of entertainment. Conquered "Sit" in ten minutes. Has a stubborn streak, but generally is eager to please. Loves to lean, suck up any and all affection offered, rarely barks but audibly grumbles when he isn't acknowledged. Beautiful amber eyes, the brindled body of a boston terrier, mottled with the spots and head of a blue heeler. All in all, one adorable and fantastic almost full grown pup.  I'm smitten.

 

 

 



-Ashley