For the Love of Labs

Meet Eva.... She is our lab




As a proud owner of a black lab puppy, I have learned to be tolerant of dirt and mud paw prints, slobber, nips, sharp claws, holes in the backyard that are 2 feet deep, rampant orbiting through our tiny one bedroom apartment, the death of not one but two left flip flops, and stolen bits of dinner from the counters.

Overall, here are the little joy Mike and I have experienced from out little labby girl Eva.

1)Barking....because she doesn't want to be left alone in the backyard anymore than you do!
2)Stolen chocolate kisses from the counter...as well as spinach, apples, granola bars...
3)Chasing the cat....and being chased by the cat...through out small apartment that was designed for one person, not two people, a fat cat and a 70 pound puppy
4)Guard dog howling in the middle of the night.... normally this type of guardianship would be a good thing, except that if we ever had an intruder or burglar....Eva would simply lick them to death
5)Chewing on my shoes, my rug, my coffee table, my hand!
6)Digging, digging, digging, filling holes, digging them up again, throwing balls ver the neighbors yard, digging them out of the neighbors yard
7)Poop...yes poop...on our jogs....smelly poop in a bag
8)Pulling on the leash when another dog comes in sight
9)Pee for a while...in the house..thank God that's over with
10)$$$ on everything doggy under the sun....collars, leashes, training collar, dog food, brushes that she is deathly afraid of, toys, blankets, dog dens, beds that she hates so she chews them up and leaves all the little pieces all over the backyard for me to pick up one by one....
11)Energy that comes with a 7 month old puppy....immense energy...
12)Whines, howls, and sobs when she wants to play but it's bed time...

I'm sure there is more....too many to even consider writing down


I have also got to experience extreme loyalty, love, admiration, and joy. All it takes for Eva to be happy is a pat on the head and a little bit of attention. When I say the words "walk" or "treat" she acts like I just told her she won the lottery. Here are some of the benefits of owning a lab....or as the movie Marley and Me states.... labradoodle....

1)Affection...a lick...bump....nudge....or look
2)Warmth of a puppy laying next to you on the couch
3)Admiration....Especially when she looks at you like you are the best thing in the entire world
4)Exercise buddy- running around the neighborhood or in the backyard with this massive beast
5)Protection....or at least the appearance of protection....she looks pretty intimidating even though she is a chicken
6)Laughter....especially when she is laying on her back....head to the side arms ad legs in the air...completely asleep
7)Adorable-ness.....when she is letting out little puppy yelps or running in her sleep
8)Excitement... any raised tone to your voice or sign that you want her near you brings her...and me....joy and excitement
9)Wagging tails....and the best part is....she can't fake the excitement...as soon as you say her name the tail gives it away
10)Training...there is nothing better in the world than putting time and effort into training your lab and having her actually respond and obey your commands....sit, sit pretty, down, leave-it...
11)Speaking of leave-it... putting a treat on your puppy's hand and having her ignore it until you say she can have it must be tough for her....but extremely rewarding to me...
12)There is nothing better in the world than a 70 pound puppy licking you on the cheek, sitting in your lap, and wagging her tail.... happiness <3

Yes, they are a lot of work....but if you don't have a dog....or a cat...you are missing out.

p.s. Our cat Lucy is a joy too, she loves to sleep on my head...whack at the dogs tail....and play ninja warrior to Eva as she runs down the hall....

Enjoying the Present

I'm sure everyone by now is sick of my posts that talk about the future and moving back to Sacramento, but this is a post about the present!!! Mike and I have decided that along with changing our lives to relect healthy habits, we are going to make the best of our time here in Humboldt. So what does that look like you ask? What is involved in making the best of our time spent here on the North Coast? Well, so far it has involved 2 days of hiking, discovering waterfalls, and jogging on the beach. We hiked to the top of Trinidad head to watch the boats in the harbor, and jogged on the beach while Mike kept stopping to pick up every whole sand dollar he could find. By the end of our jog Mike was running with his arms full of ocean goodies. I said, "Mike, you are stealing from the Ocean! Don't make me remind you of not taking more than you need!" We are environmentalist you know! Needless to say we ended the jog with him putting 60% of our treasures back! It was also nice to let Eva off the leash and run all over the beach! She saw a seal hanging out and "cloud-bathing" (it would normally be sun-bathing but sun is so rare here) and tried to eat it! Much to her surprise, when she went towards it she got a big grunt from that angry seal (who was hoofing it, or should I say finning it to the ocean) and it looked more like the seal would eat her! Eva ran away scared, and hopefully smarter....don't touch the wildlife! Yesterday we also discovered, via google, some waterfalls not more than 5 minutes from our house. I slipped on the trail on the way down to the waterfalls, but even with a bleeding finger I enjoyed the beauty of these huge fern covered falls. So this is the start of our summer in Humboldt. I have a feeling enjoying our surroundings will make this year go by much faster! Well that and writing a thesis!

Summer Weddings!

Love must be in the air this month! Not only did Mike and I celebrate out 1 year anniversary June 7th, but my cousin Steph married her love Matt last weekend and my friend Crystal is marrying her's this upcoming Saturday. What a month for weddings! I love weddings, the guests, the music, the food, the free drinks! Weddings bring people together, not just the bride and groom but families, friends, strangers. Oh how I loved my wedding, how I love being married to my sweetie pie! Every day with my husband makes me feel closer to him, every week we are more connected, and every year we share together will be a year filled with happiness because we are together! What an adventure this last year has been with my love! Moving to Pullman, moving back to California, starting graduate school, cooking for two people, getting adjusted to life as a married couple! Overall, this year has been incredible and amazing and I am so glad I was able to share it with my love. <3

Heartache and Daydreams

Don't get scared, my blog posting will not be as prophetic as the title of my blog. I was checking out houses on metrolist (a housing list serve for the Sacramento area). This has become my favorite thing to do on my spare time, even though Mike and I know we won't be buying a house for at least 3 years (which seems like forever to me)! I get so excited looking at all these pictures of our potential houses, but it also makes me a little sad that we are here right now and now in my home! We are trying to enjoy our experience here, I mean Humboldt has so many amazing outdoor activites! And I know when we look back on our time here we will remember all the fun we had and the beauty we saw, but right now I am thinking about those picnics on the American River, jetskiing on Folsom Lake, eating lunch downtown, jumping on light rail, driving through the Fab 40's, riding our bikes through the city of trees in the sunlight, and simply enjoying the valley, the warmth. But most of all, I miss the comfort of my hometown. Of course the people are importnant, family and friends make it my home, but the atmosphere the area also holds a spot in my heart. I have dreams of owning a house under the tree-laden streets of Sac, wokring downtown and meeting co-workers for lunch, raising my kids in an area where parks, rivers, and trader joe's are abundant. I have visions of my children playing in the backyard on a warm sunny morning, kissing my love under the arches of the capital as we did once before, delighting in the simple pleasure that is good weather and sunshine.... Sacramento air. Mike and I know what we want, and we realize it might not all be possible. But then again, we can dream. We want a green lifestlye complete with cloth diapers and organic local food. We want nice things that will last us years, we want the joy of creating memories in an area where we can excel in our careers, families, friendships. I tend to think too far in the future, and maybe that makes me miss the wonderful things of the present. I am trying to live in the moment so that I enjoy the beauty that surrounds us on a daily basis, but I will never stop dreaming. Dreaming of our future solidifies what we want as a couple, who we want to be, and what our future will hold.

We will make our future... we can have whatever we cant.... as long as we make it happen. Let's make it happen.

Plans for the Future

Looking back on the year (and yes, it's almost been a whole year since Mike and I got married) it's amazing how fast time goes by. I am 2 weeks away from being done with my first year of graduate school. We have recently adopted a lab puppy named Eva, she is huge and growing bigger every day. Mike loves her though, so now we're both happy campers with two animals. I woke up this morning really excited for a few reasons. I will be starting my thesis research this summer and can't wait to get it finished so I can start writing my thesis and get on to graduating. We have also been talking about moving back to Sacramento when we are finished here, and that makes me even happier. We really want to find careers in Sac, and eventually a house somewhere in Land Park or East Sacramento. We're both really excited to be back in the 'city.' Haha. Humboldt County is beautiful but we are ready for careers, being closer to family, and for some familiarity. We can't wait to buy a house and make it our own. We can't wait for summers in Sac where we ca go to the river to swim and fish and have a picnic. We can't wait to eat breakfast at one of the yummy downtown restaurants, and take walks at night in the warm Sacramento air. I think we are both most excited to finally start our lives together. Being here is great for the moment, but we both feel like we are on hold until I finish. ONE MORE YEAR and we will we back!!!!!!!!

A Much Needed Update

Looking at my last posting I realized that I haven't even wrote about our move to Humboldt. Long story short, after moving to Pullman, WA for graduate school, getting unpacked, getting jobs, getting settled, we decided to move. The program was not right for me, the town was not right for us, and we were way way way to far from family for our liking. After 2 miserable days trying to make a decision I called up Humboldt State University, the program I was supposed to be going to that fall, and asked if their offer for admission for the fall semester was still good cosndiering that I declined my admissions. The program director said absolutly, "as long as you can make it down here." So we rented a u-haul, packed up our lives in 8 hours, and the next day headed for California once again. Those 3 days were the longest and most stressful in my life filled with lots of tears and worry. But, on the drive home we both felt the relief setting in as we left the palouse and traveled back to the Redwoods and the ocean. Mike and I both say every once in a while we miss the palouse with its rolling wheat fields. We had some wonderful times hiking Moscow Mountain in Idaho, driving across the Washington/Idaho border almost daily, and trying to make a living in a land with no trees. The palouse and Pullman, WA, with it's strange August thunderstorms and dessert like feeling will strangely always hold a place in our hearts. Although sometimes I miss that month that we spent there, leaving Pullman was one of our better ideas, and now we are here, in Humboldt County, another foreign place....but much more like home.

A New Beginning

It is the middle of a beautifully warm summer here in Sacramento, CA. Along with long walks to the river, cool crisp water to swim in, delicious local places to eat, farmers markets, and friends and family visits our summer months have been packed with new experiences for us both. Wow. 8 months from my last blog and look at all that has happened. Mike and I got married at the Newcastle Wedding Gardens on June 7, 2009 and went on an adventurous honeymoon to Costa Rica! We have had a wonderful first month being married and are now preparing to embark on a journey to Pullman, WA for graduate school. I will be attending WSU and obtaining my Masters in Eartha and Environmental Science while working as a TA for a Geology class. Mike will be working and supporting our little life in Pullman. We hope to only be there for 2 years or a little less, and then we plan on moving back to California or to the Coast somewhere on the Pacific side. We found a great little apartment with a terrific view of the Palouse (a very fertile and hilly area mostly accompanied by wheat crops), and we're hoping to get a Kitty and possibly Puppy as soon as we settle in a bit.

I'm hoping that we can keep up on this blog and post some pictures describing our adventures in Pullman and our first years of marriage!

More wedding pictures to come!