Moving

We're heading to the 'burbs!

........ sorta.

After 3 years in our city apartment, we've decided to move our zoo to the suburbs. We'll literally be .3 seconds outside of the city, so its not that big of a deal. We have outgrown our rented 2 bed/2 bath space, and are just itching for a little change of scenery! Most of our friends have migrated from the hustle and bustle of the city into the quieter (but still close and accessible) suburbs... and while we aren't entirely ready for all of the cliches associated with suburban living, we're making this move for several pretty good reasons:

1) We'll be closer to Andrew's school - major plus, as he has sucked up a pretty long commute to be close to my school since 2009... since I'm donezo in just a few weeks (YAAAY!) its his turn to be a quick 10 minutes to school for a year. 

2) We'll be closer to the friends we spend most of our time with - and we're so looking forward to a 1 mile drive (or walk!) home instead of a 20-40 min drive from place to place nearly every weekend night.

3) We'll be walking distance to shops and dining that we really love... and we plan to take advantage of this "walking distance" luxury during the last year we live in the warm, sunny South!

4) We'll be saving $$$......... this is a no-brainer. Our city rent climbed higher and higher with each passing year, and the renewal paperwork we received a few months ago pushed the monthly rent they were "pleased to offer" us into the realm of utterly ridiculous! This made it a heck of a lot easier to part with our first home together. 

5) We're gaining square footage (and a {small} bedroom) - not entirely necessary, since its just me and Andrew... but our furbabies take up a lot of space, and we could use the additional storage for their beds, crates, toys, etc.

Other bonuses inclue: hardwood floors instead of carpet, a first floor unit to make it easier to get the dog in/out 17382 times a day, a laundry room instead of a laundry closet, and a separate jetted tub and walk-in shower in our master bath! Oh ya, and the fact that there is a "master" bath at all... with 2 sinks instead of 1... is a bonus in and of itself :)

With a summer of bar studying ahead of me, I'm anxious to settle into this new condo and make the 3rd bedroom my designated study space. The next few weeks will be filled with packing and organizing (and hopefully a little clutter purging). And I've already got a list going of little things we'll need to fill this house and make it feel like home......... 

I'll post inspiration pictures soon!

And if you've been following along lately... you know that "soon" is open for interpretation. 

{Sorry for being so MIA!}

Meet Darla!

Hi, I'm Darla! 

My mom and dad bought me on a bit of an impulse, but (so far) they're really glad they did :) I'm 8 weeks old and already weigh 15 lbs! The first couple of nights at my new house were rough... but I'm being such a good girl now and haven't had one single accident in the house yet. My mom has to get up to take me potty all night long, so she is really tired. But she says I'm worth it!

I love to cuddle. I hate walking on my leash. I ignore my sister Bella even when she is kinda mean and hisses at me... and my Auntie Sheila came over and taught me how to "sit" already! Mom thinks I'm a genius.

I love sitting on the deck...

My dad snuggles me like a teddy bear...

If I eat my leash, maybe I won't have to keep walking...

And I love animal print... apparently... so chic.

My mom will probably be blogging about me a lot... she takes my picture all day long and sends them to my Aunties and Grandmas. When they get sick of them, she'll just post the pictures on this little corner of the internet so she can look back at them and remember how wittle I was when I grow into a small pony.

See you soon! Thanks for stopping by to meet me!

Love,

Darla

Just when I thought...

Just when I thought I'd finally have some down time - after weddings and travel and bar prep workshops wrapped up and a few weekends in a row looked wide open - we go and decide to get a puppy! Our newest addition will be picked up this week... and she is SO cute I can hardly stand it!

Any time I had this weekend to catch this sad little blog up to speed was instead spent reading up on crate training, must-have new puppy products, and how-to articles on everything from introducing a puppy to your cat (duh) to chew toy training (what? that exists?).

I'm feeling pretty ready to put these 1320891 articles and hours worth of discussion forum info to use on a real live furball. BUT if you have any puppy tips or tricks -- I'm all ears! We need all the help we can get! We have been looking at dogs and wanting a puppy for what seems like ages... when we came across this little girl we knew it was time to rip off the bandaid and just get one already! Wish us luck :)

Welcome to the family, you sweet, nameless little (but not little for much longer) Bernese Mountain Dog!

Sticking her tongue out at us already... ut oh.

"You wanna be my momma?"

Bachelorette Weekend

Despite the fact that Sheila's bachelorette weekend was almost a month ago... I'm finally getting a chance to sit down and blog about it today! 5 days before her wedding. Yes, 5 days!!! It's wedding week! :) Exciting and panic-inducing all at once... more for her than for me, obviously. And more exciting than panic-y, (maybe not so) obviously.

For the bachelorette weekend we headed a couple hours north up to the Blue Ridge mountains in North Georgia for a weekend of junking antiquing, window shopping, and cozying up in a quaint little cabin with lots of great food. It was so Sheila's style, and a weekend unplugged from technology was good for everyone! The rain wasn't going to stop us from having fun...... until it caused us to get stuck in the mud trying to leave Sunday morning! A dozen phone calls, 2 1/2 hours, and 3 men (2 from a tow company, 1 a nearby neighbor) later - we finally got un-stuck and were on our way back to the city!

Craziest little "antique" shop

Minutes before I decided to go wait for the girls in the car ;)

Putzing through downtown Blue Ridge shops

Strolling through the downtown, looking for a coffee shop

Blue Ridge

All the girls!

Sweet little Kayden got to hang w/ the girls for the weekend too!

Bride and MOH

Wine and dessert(sssss) in our jammies

Cozy!

Busy busy in the kitchen

Cars in the corn field haha

Blue Ridge was sooo adorable ~ but a word of caution: before you book a cabin from a private owner (VRBO.com, etc.) make sure you read the reviews! If there aren't any reviews, I'd choose another rental. The cabin we stayed in was ADORABLE. But it was very seriously in the middle of a corn field. We had no cell service, no road to travel in and out on, and if there had been an emergency (keep in mind we were with a 2-year-old and her 37-week-pregnant mother!) we were totally stuck due to the rain. The rental site listing was a bit deceiving to say the least! Luckily, it wasn't a big issue once we arrived - we didn't plan on leaving until we headed home Sunday anyways - but I think we learned a good lesson about trusting online ads for the next time we want a weekend get-away!

Sheila's showers, bachelorette party, and bridesmaid brunch are all over. The only thing left to do this week is beautify, rehearse, and WATCH HER WALK DOWN THAT AISLE!!! So. crazy. It seemed like the day would never come and now........ its almost here!!! :) Can't wait!