Puppy Love

Last weekend I fled to my parents’ house. I tend to do this when life gets to be too much for me. After Gary basically told me he was leaving me for someone else, I had to get out of town and find some peace. Sometimes you just need your parents to talk to, cry to or to simply remind you that everything is going to be okay. Mine are great for that. My father is less vocal in his support and advice, as I’m sure he’d rather just snap Gary’s neck, but he has a way of being there for me without really saying anything. My mother is more like me, she vocalizes her anger and disgust over the situation and listens and commiserates with me, but she is quick to remind me he isn’t worth another thought, telling me not to waste another moment wondering, caring, analyzing or feeling sorry for myself…that I am more than enough and if someone can’t see that, it’s their problem, not mine.

Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that I knew getting away to mom and dad’s last weekend was more than necessary. I’ve mentioned before that my parents live in the country, so there aren’t a whole lot of crazy things to do, but that’s why it’s nice to get away to. It was a beautiful day, so we decided to head to the flee market and grab lunch somewhere later on. Now, I’m not a huge fan of flee markets. There is something about seeing rednecks drinking beer and shopping for fishing gear at 9 a.m. that just doesn’t sit well with me. This particular flee market really isn’t too bad though and I love going there with my parents because there are ALWAYS puppies for sale and they are just so fun to look at! There is one breeder there every weekend who just has so much passion for animals that you can’t help but love her. We visited her first thing and that is where I first laid eyes on this guy…

How could I resist?

Now, I’ve wanted to get a dog for a while now. There have always been a million reasons not to get one: I don’t have time for a puppy, I want to wait until I’m settled down and married so there is someone else to help, I don’t know what kind I want…the list goes on.

When I saw this little guy, I knew this was what I wanted. He’s a dwarf lab, which means he’ll only grow to be 20-25 pounds, a very manageable size for me. He looked up at me with those beautiful green eyes and I was hooked. We said our goodbyes and left the puppies, walked around for a while and on our way out, stopped by to see him again. Next thing I knew he was cuddled up on my lap in the car heading home.

Was this all a little impulsive? Obviously. But when it comes down to it, there are always going to be reasons not to do something. I am a strong, independent, smart woman. I can make this work. I am lucky to have a fairly flexible job that is going to help getting through these first few weeks with a new puppy especially.

My silver lining, Blake

I was just thinking sometimes you just need to take the plunge and things will work out. I knew this puppy would bring lots of joy into my life and even better, I can count on him to not leave me for someone else. My wonderfully supportive parents must have seen the joy on my face when I was holding him and wanted to do whatever they could to keep that happiness going. They also knew I would need to focus all of my attention on taking care of my new baby that I wouldn’t be focused on getting my heart broken so much.

So here we are, a week later. You all already know I am still recovering from the break up, but lucky for me, I have Blake (named after country music artist Blake Shelton) as my sweet silver lining. If I hadn’t run off to my parents’ I wouldn’t have this little guy brightening my days. Life is funny like that. My parents are amazing.

End of story.

Boo.

Gary told me tonight that he has feelings for someone else. We broke up. I really thought we had something here. Ugh.

In Other News...

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe and fun NYE.

I promised some updates so here they are!

I had a beautiful and relaxing Christmas with my family. As I told you, Gary joined me at my parents' house for the weekend. I really wasn't too worried about how it would go. He's outgoing, fun and loves me so I went into it without any concerns. Needless to say, I was one happy girl. Christmas with my family is always so nice and having Gary there simply put it over the top for me.

I've been reading so much lately! I got a Kindle for Christmas and absolutely love it. I've always been a big reader, but lately, I haven't been able to sit down and read without getting distracted with Pinterest, blogging, TV or the hundreds of other reasons not to read. I was resistant to eReaders for a while, but recently decided that I absolutely had to have one. I'm reading The Hunger Games right now and I've already finished the first two books in the series. I haven't been so enthralled in a story since I read The Help so I am obviously loving it.

 

Just a few days before NYE, I went to the doctor to follow up on the procedure I had to get rid of my kidney stones. Those darn things keep coming back so I was really hoping that after a very uncomfortable week of recovering, I would be stone-free. I got the good news I was hoping for. The stones were gone. I just have to go back in 6-8 weeks to make sure it stays that way. Unfortunately, it looks like this may always be an issue for me. All I can do is check in with the doctor regularly to make sure if I have stones again, we can take care of them right away. Anyway, I was super relieved to get back to normal in time for our New Year's Eve celebration and loved going into the new year with that weight off my shoulders.

Speaking of New Year's Eve, I had a wonderful time ringing in the new year with Gary and many of his friends. We went to a formal party at his boss' house and had an absolute blast! I have been such a hot mess lately with health issues that it was really nice to get all dressed up and celebrate together. The night was full of dancing, lots of amazing wine and great conversation.

The holidays were a delightful time in my world and I hope they were the same for you. Right now, I'm focusing on getting back to the daily grind at work and trying to get back to my gym routine. I feel like with everything going on at the end of the year, I wasn't as "present" at work as I need to be, not to mention that I haven't been on my normal workout schedule since Thanksgiving. It's time to get focused again and head into the new year with enthusiasm and health!