holiday blogging...

i am sad to report that over the past few months i have officially become a holiday blogger :( so on the eve of the new year, i figured it was appropriate to renew my dedication to this awesome form of communication...also, i figured out how to access my blog at work, so now i can use my downtimes to write to you all!

so let's see...Christmas was wonderful, i was home in chicago, it was FREEZING when i got there (with Leonidas in tow!), like highs around -3. needless to say, neither the dog or i were very pleased, although i think he had it worse...everything i took him outside to go to the bathroom, he would start shaking and stepping gingerly on his freezing little paws. we tried everything to fix this issue, from his parka vest to a new sweater; we even bought little doggie booties for his feet (they didn't stay on very well and he looked like he didn't know how to walk in them)! we tried to get him to run around with hudson at a school behind my house (they played a ton inside) but he started shaking so much that my dad wrapped him up inside his down coat and carried him home. eventually, we settled for very frequent, very quick trips into the artic tundra and waited for the weather to warm up.

by Christmas eve, all was warmer, we had 8-10 inches of snow on the ground, and it was truly beautiful. below is a picture of the biggest icicle outside my house (we eventually knocked it down to keep it from breaking the gutter). my whole family went to church, my brother and grandfather sang in the choir, and it was all very fun and memorable. Christmas morning, we had the grandparents over for breakfast and presents, followed by dinner with my aunt, cousins, all four grandparents, and my family. the food was delicious but we were tired at the end.

the next few days i spend relaxing at home, until sunday, when the puppy and i reboarded a plane and came back to the east coast. he was a wonderful little traveler, didn't cause any problems on the plane or in the airport, but he and i are both glad to be back.

thanksgiving in chi-town

just like you all, i was so so so ready to come home for thanksgiving break!  it has been a wonderful time to catch up with my family, including some cousins and my grandparents.  leonidas is staying with alex and his family in PA, so i'm getting regular updates on his break too...after a rough first day (and two accidents on the heacock's carpet), he's well adjusted, getting regular walks, and taking advantage of plenty of snuggle time.  i have a feeling monday is going to be rough on the little guy, but i'm glad he's having a good vacation too!

my trip home has been pretty low-key.  i've gotten to help with christmas decorations and cooking and shopping, which has all been fun.  i met a girl on the WM track team who's from this area, knows my brother's friends, and knows alex as well, so that was fun.  it's always a weird experience to find someone at home who can talk about life at WM...it feels like my worlds collide a little bit, and i love it.

other than that, i'm so thankful to hear that jennie is home safely, and that you all are enjoying some time with family!  kayla and i were talking about potentially having a christmas party sometime soon, so if people have thoughts, ideas, or opinions on dates, activities, etc, let me know!  

thankful thursday (really friday, but who's counting?)

today i am thankful for Nature's Miracle...Leonidas has had an intestinally rough week after ripping through a bag of treats and eating the whole thing. as a result, i've come home to two fairly unpleasant presents that required cleaning. thankfully, i've had Nature's Miracle, a product specially designed to deal with animal...accidents, and it's worked wonders!

results are in...

thanks for indulging in my quiz! after some more research about the dogs' various temperaments, size and proportion, and face shape, i think we're officially changing his breeding to tibetan spaniel! interestingly enough, tibetan spaniels are not at all related to other spaniels, but actually descend from the pekingese (a close second choice).

in any case, thanks for playing, and the little tibetan spaniel says hello!

pop quiz

people always ask me what kind of dog leonidas is, and i never know what to tell them, so i figured my guess is as good as yours...tell me what you think!

here's leonidas...
and here are your choices (feel free to google other images if you want...i tried to find ones with similar coloring to his just to make it fair)

A: Tibetan Spaniel

B: Pekingese
C: Papillon
D: Phalene (cousin to the papillon)

thanks everyone :)

so today is my 23rd birthday, and i am feeling sentimental, so i wanted to take a second to thank all of you for the various contributions you've made to my life thus far. you've been roommates and classmates, neighbors and friends, life lines and punch lines, confidants and co-conspirators. so much of who i have become comes from knowing you and i am so thankful for what great friendships the Lord has put in my life. i know we all have taken different paths, some more closely intertwined than others, but for what it's worth, each of you hold a special place in my heart and and in my prayers, and you always always will.

leonidas has arrived :)

well, pending some mailed in paperwork, leonidas has officially joined our lives!!! we took him home from his temporary foster sunday night and we haven't looked back. he's a papillon, about 7 lbs, 1 1/2 years old, and just about the cutest thing on the face of the earth. he's generally pretty calm (even a little shy with strangers), but he warms up quickly, at which point he'll never leave your side. in fact, he's snuggled up against my leg as i'm writing this :)

he's got a great personality, snuggly and sweet, but also very playful (when he's in the mood, he'll even fetch!). he seems completely housebroken, which is awesome. he's a great walker (really it's more like prancing...) and we walked for well over an hour today on our own and then with katie and chris. he's already learning to sit for treats, he gets so excited when you come home (he's like a little jumping bean...which may also be because he has to pee after a long day inside), and he loves to flop for belly rubs. oh, and he hardly sheds at all (like maybe 5 hairs since we got him).

more importantly, here are some pictures. in the first one, he's napping with alex, in the second he's sitting at alex's feet in the car, and the third i took on our first long walk today. enjoy!!!