Four Must Haves For Your Doggy Diaper Bag

HAPPY NATIONAL DOG DAY. According to my facebook memories, I've captioned a picture of Albus the past two years with the exact same caption... So I thought I'd mix it up this year and blog instead of saying "let's be honest, every day is national dog day with Albus..." I've talked before about my doggy diaper bag and how I keep it packed, ready to go, right by the door. My mom is actually the one who named it a diaper bag, but I think it's very accurate based on what I've seen in human baby diaper bags, even down to something for the poops....

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EXTRA. POOP. BAGS. One of my biggest fears is running out of poop bags. It happens to the best of us, sometimes I don't check the bag holder (ps we just switched to a poop bag holder that straps on to the leash because we broke so many dangle-y plastic ones. the most ideal) only to find out that was your last one on the roll. There are so many passive aggressive signs on our normal walking route, that I'm extra self conscious about cleaning up after my dog. Also, if you're going to have a sign that says "be a good neighbor and clean up after your pet" why don't you help me to help you? Maybe have a trash can or a dispenser with some bags in it. Also, travel sized hand sanitizer, because picking up dog poop is a dangerous, yucky game.

Treats!! So we did all the levels of the PetSmart puppy training, and the biggest takeaway was to reward positive behavior. Albus is highly food motivated -- literally took three days to potty train him because he realized if he went outside, he got a treat. We've been very loyal BarkBox customers since the day I brought him home, and honestly average a little less than two bags of treats a month. I keep a bag of treats in my purse, in the doggy diaper bag, and in the car. Albus has recently decided that he will not look at the camera without seeing a treat too. Our newest trick is to say "Albus! Can I take your picture?!" and he immediately drops whatever he has in his mouth and freezes...

Collapsible Bowls -- *technically* these clip on our leash, because it has this cool ring for you to clip things on. If we're on a long hike/walk, any time I stop for water for myself, I give some to Albus. Which means I'm constantly lugging around my Nalgene bottle too. Also, a lot of places we go and sit on the patio either don't have a doggy bowl or. sometimes. Albus is the biggest water snob and will only drink water with ice cubes in it. Either way, we're always prepared. Plus they just fold right down and take up no space!

This thing that will make you say "WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?" because it holds the ball on top of your phone. I mentioned that Albus refuses to look at the camera without proof of a treat, but he will always look at a ball. My cousin got me one of these a few years ago and I recently had to replace it because I absolutely lost it somewhere dumb I'm sure.

I also have things in the bag for me: the aforementioned hand sanitizer, SUNSCREEN, chapstick, and extra koozies. We use the Kavu bag that every college sorority girl seems to own, which I have absolutely gotten all $50 out of. It's so easy to grab and go, plus there's room for me to stick my entire giant wallet in there and a super small pocket to stash my keys in. I've also adopted the Boy Scouts "always be prepared" motto, so I keep treats, extra poop bags, and hand sanitizer in my regular purse...

Do you have a doggy diaper bag? Or something similar? Is there anything I need to add to mine? Happy National Dog Day everyone!! 

Can I Bring Albus: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield

A couple of weeks ago, I got up extra early on a Saturday and I was super motivated. So I loaded Albus up for a quick little hike up Kennesaw Mountain. You would think that since I grew up in Kennesaw, went to the park every year for field trips in elementary school, drive past it every single work day, that I would remember the date of the battle. It was June 27th, 1864 and you guys will never guess what day I took Albus to hike the mountain. Go ahead, guess. Did you guess June 29th, the Saturday after the anniversary of the battle? BECAUSE YOU WOULD BE RIGHT! 

This post is not sponsored (but I would absolutely accept a National Park Annual Pass in exchange for taking Albus to all of the dog friendly ones and exploring them...) This post does contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through one of those links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks! 

So, on this fateful day. I figured the park would be busy, it wasn't TOO hot yet, but it was a Saturday morning. I pulled up and the main parking lot was full (it's always full, but I always do a loop in case I'm there at *just* the right time and someone is leaving.) Then the overflow parking was a zoo too, I lucked into a parking spot, took a very official picture of Albus squinting in front of the sign in that parking lot, then we head to the opening of the park. We start to cross the street, and only then do I see the tents set up, the canons not in their normal places, and people dressed as Union & confederate soldiers. 

In case you were wondering, no, Albus was not a fan of the cannon fire or the rifles. Since we had already fought to park and made it to the welcome center, I decided that we should try to go up the mountain anyways. The hike up Kennesaw Mountain is only 1 mile, but man I struggle every time. Atlanta Trails says it's a "relatively moderate" hike. In the intro they say "Hike a strenuous 2.4 miles roundtrip on the Big Mountain Trail," so maybe it's not so easy peasey. Not sure I'm going to be trying anything they say is more difficult. 

SPEAKING of more difficult. If you're ever in the area and end up at the entrance on the back side of the mountain, they call it "Little Kennesaw Mountain" that hike is substantially more difficult and I have been glared down by a troop of Boy Scouts with those poky hike stick things (staunchly refusing to google what they're really called.) because apparently letting the large group of boys who look like they know what they're doing pass is not actually proper hiking etiquette. I always operate under "slower traffic get out of the way" 

So, on your hike up, you go about .8 miles and then there's a parking lot. Fun story, the first time I took my youngest brother hiking, he got SO MAD when we found the parking lot and insisted we walk the driving path down because he didn't believe that going around the mountain would be further than straight down it. Well, by the time Albus & I reach this parking lot, I'm breathing a lot heavier than I care to admit, and I plop down on the sidewalk for both of us to take a water break. We only do easy hikes, but I keep my doggy diaper bag packed with sunscreen, an extra water bottle, a bag of BarkBox treats, and a spare roll of poop bags. I also have this really cool collapsible bowl that clips on to the leash. Obviously I needed the break more than Albus did. 

I asked the park rangers if they would be firing the cannons on the tippy top of the mountain, because by this time I remembered all of the Kennesaw Mountain knowledge I have amassed over the years. They were also firing those, the reenactment must be historically accurate you know, so I decided we'd just head back down. It was hot and sweaty, but we ended up doing over two miles anyways because we had to walk to and from that satellite parking lot. 

Kennesaw Mountain itself, as well as the rest of the park associated with it, is all very dog friendly. A KEY thing to note though, you're gonna need to bring your own bags and be a little prepared to carry one for a while. We once accidentally went 6 miles on the Noses Creek trail looking for a trash can. There are several different trails in the park and we've done almost all of them! Maybe on our next installment of "Can I Bring Albus?" we'll talk about the dog beach where Albus made some overly serious dog dad very mad..

Have you been to Kennesaw Mountain? Do you think I'm a wimp getting winded on the trail (it's okay, I know I'm out of shape.) Is there a National Park near you that you love? Tell me about it! Also, always accepting new ideas for where to bring Albus.

Friday Favorites

HAPPY FRIDAY! This has been the longest week, since the last time I said it was the longest week. Every day this week has felt like Friday, except for today. So, I thought I'd share some Friday Favorites! 

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This Sunday, Albus turns THREE YEARS OLD. That's 21 in dog years. Of course his birthday happens to fall on Father's Day this year, so we'll have to get a little creative with the celebration. I saved his BarkBox to open on Sunday and I think I might make him some pupcakes. Last year I got this Nerf Gun, which was just as much a present for me as it was for Albus... I feel like since I held the BarkBox, I don't need to get him a toy. Maybe a dapper new collar? I'm really cutting it close here on a birthday present...

Last night, Taylor Swift dropped a new single, and I am a fan. I've almost listened to it enough times to know all of the words at this point...

I started reading Born A Crime last night, because my library is silly about their hold times. I'll put books on hold and they say "oh it'll be about two months" and then a week later I get an email saying my books are ready, so I also picked up The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo so it's a big reading weekend for me this weekend!

I've also been LOVING Influenced the Podcast -- I am very late to the whole podcast bandwagon, I have a hard time focusing on people talking while I'm driving, but I love this one! Everyone should listen to it, blogger or not. It's fun and I honestly feel like I'm just chatting with a couple of friends while I drive home. In case you're wondering, sometimes I do respond out loud. It gets a little weird when I have the top down and it happens at a light. I just lean into it & pretend I'm on call on the bluetooth (which my car doesn't even have hahahahaha)

Also, bonus, one thing I'm not loving. My instagram engagement has been super weird, so I tried to task myself with posting something every day in June, to see if maybe consistency would make it better? Then I got so stressed out trying to come up with something I wanted to post on Wednesday of this week, that I let myself not accomplish that goal. I don't want to put any kind of content out there that's half assed or forced. (A thing Lindsay & Christine hit on in the podcast that day, maybe they're related....) Have you been fighting with Instagram lately too?

What have you been loving lately?

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING

WE MADE IT! Happy happy first day of spring my friends. I know that pollen is coming, I saw it just waiting to drop off of all the trees on the way back from Savannah and I even noticed a slight yellow tint to the top of my car, but honestly, I am READY FOR IT. Bring it on. I've stocked up on allergy meds and I will defeat the pollen season (check back in with me when the entire state of Georgia turns yellow.)

Florals, for spring? Groundbreaking

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I am so excited for all of the spring things. 8 days until MLB season opens, 12 days until the Braves home opener. I already know exactly what I'm going to wear, planning for all different weather variations that April offers in Georgia. (PS where did March go? January & February lasted six years and March lasted exactly 12 straight rainy days.) 

It's also the time of year I sweaaaaaaaaaar I'll run the Peachtree. It's not happening this year. I want to get in shape, but I've accepted that I like the social aspect of the Peachtree more than any of the other parts. NOW on to more important Peachtree issues -- which tank top do I want to wear? In the past I've had some really good ones. Last year it was America the Brewtiful and the year before that it was Raise You Hand If You've Ever Been Personally Victimized by King George III. So this year has some pretty big shoes to fill. Send me ALL of your punny reccomendations. The Peachtree is on the 4th of July so I usually go with a USA theme, but one year I had one specially made that was Darth Vadar & said "who's your daddy?" (I love this tank top, I giggle every time I put it on. I'm really cool guys.)

I am also excited for patio cocktail season. I don't know about y'all, but cocktails outside just taste better. Don't even get me started about cocktails by the pool. Those are my absolute favorite. Really, cocktails in any body of water, I'm not picky as long as the sun is shining and I'm out there IN it. Obviously wearing all of the sunscreen. I'm really excited to try this Central Side Cocktail Elle shared a couple of weeks ago while sitting in the glider I literally put blood, sweat, and tears into putting together. Or walk the littlest monster to a nice outdoor patio and have someone else prepare the cocktails for me......

What spring things are you looking forward to? Do you have any spring cocktails I need to try? Or a favorite, punny tanktop for me to get for the Peachtree? Give it aaalllll to me. 

Adventures of Albus!

I am so pumped for the weather to get better because that means oh-so-many more walks with everyone's favorite little monster. Last year, they opened a new pedestrian bridge that connected my house with the Marietta Square, it's a quick little almost a mile walk down to all of our favorite places. If you follow me on instagram you'll know that we basically live at the Glover Park Brewery. 

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My mom makes fun of me, because she says I have a diaper bag for when we go on our little walks. It's true though, I have this cute little kavu bag that I bought a few years ago for when we went on hiking adventures, but now it's my go to when we're walking for fun too. I can pack a couple of bags of treats, a spare roll of poop bags, my wallet, a house key, and whatever other things I need to take with me on the walk. I haven't bought a bag of treats since I signed Albus up for the BarkBox - since he gets two full sized bags of treats in the box, that's usually how many bags we need to get through a month. 

I also have a post saved in my drafts about whether or not I'm sure my dog needed a certain kind of collar. Albus used to have one of the prong collars, because it was the only thing that gave me full control over him AND allowed for an even correction. He's always been stronger than me and we were really concerned about his safety and my rotator cuff... I used to get VERY defensive about it to the people who felt like they knew better than me and my trainer. I can't imagine what it's like to be the mom of a human child if so many people feel like they can comment on what's up with my pup.

We had worked with the trainer and had developed a plan to move from that back to the harness, and that's what we're slowly transitioning to now! Albus has finally learned not to drag me and will almost stay within the leash's length of me. We've literally been working on this for almost his entire life. We use the Pet-Safe Easy Walk harness which works great. It's a little too big on him, but the smaller size was too small. I know he's almost three, but I figure he'll probably grow into it. 

Since the last Albus post, we have taught him to bark when you say "Albus, say GO DAWGS!" which is my favorite trick and I show EVERYONE we meet that trick. He also has a doggy fitbit. I'm serious. We switched to Banfield for vet services and they're doing some kind of case study with the people at Whistle Labs -- they gave it to us for free as long as we keep up with our annual appointments and Albus wears it on his collar every day. It's actually a really cool little tracker, I can tell that making sure he hits his "activity" goal makes him better behaved. This isn't even a sales pitch and that link to Whistle is just a link to their website, it's just a cool thing that we have to play with now. I don't know if I would have ever bough my dog a fitness tracker, but now I'm glad I have one. haha

So, if you're not following along, you can follow Albus on his very own instagram account (still waiting for the day he starts getting free food and bandannas...) He's a very social little guy who thinks he's the bouncer for any place we go. "You must pet the pup before entering this place" We will be going on so many more adventures this summer, so stay tuned! Do you have any funny puppy stories? Please tell me all of your funny puppy stories (heavy on the destructive or not letting you sleep through the night phases because I have puppy fever right now.)

Albus 9 Month Pupdate

So, yesterday, Albus got his BarkBox for March (I typed January and February before settling on March, in case you were wondering). He was SO EXCITED. I used to think he could tell that it was for him, but recently I've discovered he thinks any and all mail is for him. ANYWAYS. So he tears through it, chews on a bone for a while, takes the toy that was in it and buried it in the backyard, and ends up playing with the box. Yep. The box. Sometimes I think he's part cat.

NINE MONTHS. This little monster is going to be NINE MONTHS OLD ON THURSDAY. I will be busy being a terrible mom and seeing Beauty and the Beast at the release. NINE MONTHS OLD THOUGH. So nine months, we've accomplished some milestones! 

He's convinced me that he doesn't need to be in the crate while I'm at work. Yes, you read that right. The tiny tornado is loose in the house. Sometimes, when I get home, he's still in his crate waiting for me. It's adorable really. He's only chewed up one pair of my shoes in the whole process. A floor covered in his toys (we're still working on putting them away)

We switched to a no-pull harness, which is helping a little bit. Somehow, at SEVENTY POUNDS, he's an in-between size. He's too big for a small, too small for a medium. Juuuusut barely. So he gets to pull a little bit in his harness. Our teacher thinks that I should make sure to have treats all the time on or walks, so that will be something I add to our walks, once the frigid weather goes away. 

He's been acting very much like a teenager. I'll say "Albus, sit!" and he will BARK BACK AT ME. He's talking back! Little punk. He's being very defiant lately, looking me in the eye when he refuses to do what he's told. His 5K time is getting better, by that I mean my 5K time is getting better, he'd love to go faster. 

Last, but not least, he's becoming an instagram superstar. He was even featured by one of those little pup instagram accounts with his 8 month chalkboard! You'll have to follow along with his adventures, he even has his own hashtag! Do you have any puppy stories for me? I love puppy stories!

Friday Five!

Good gravy this was another long week. I am so pumped to spring forward this weekend. I don't think I've ever been so excited to lose an hour in my entire life. It's just that when it's dark, or just about dark, when I get home from work ALL I WANT TO DO is go to bed. Like, we're talking pep talks to stay up past 8:30 every night. It's bad man. 

NEW LOOK! Guys, I wanted to mix it up a little, so I installed a new theme here. What do you think? At first, I was a little worried, because I loved it so but the example was very grayscale. We all know grayscale really isn't my jam (well I did paint all of the walls in my house gray. but that's different.) What do you think? I'm in love.

Books books books I did it. I joined the Book of the Month club. If you want to use my referral link, you get three books for $9.99. Let's be real, three hardcover books for $30 is a STEAL. I received my first book in the mail on Wednesday & I can't wait to dive in. I plan on finishing Big Little Lies this weekend (because it's supposed to rain!) and starting Dead Letters after that! Are you part of the Book of the Month Club? It makes me feel fancy, if we're being for real for real. 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST I am so excited for next Thursday I could just about die. When I bought my ticket, I got a free download of the song. I love it. I feel like I'm betraying Angela Landsbury a little by loving it, but que sera sera. Also, check out this Belle inspired cocktail! Also, are we all in agreement that LaFou has always been gay? I always thought he was in love with Gaston, so I don't understand why anyone is up in arms about it. 

Albus & storms We had a pretty loud storm last night, around 3:45AM. Albus isn't usually afraid of the thunder, so I am assuming when he jumped up in the bed and laid on top of me, he was worried about me right? Just making sure you're okay and not scared momma!

Instagram themes If you've noticed, I didn't gram all week, until yesterday. I've been overthinking what my "theme" should be after Helene's post on Monday about how it's key to a successful campaign. So I've been really worried about what mine should be and how I should start planning. I have decided on one, so we'll see if you can figure it out once I get into it!

That's all I have right now, how was your week? Anything to share that I missed?

Best Laid Plans

I was planing to review Big Little Lies because surely I would have finished it this weekend... but then it was Harry Potter Weekend on FreeForm so there you go. I didn't finish the book, I didn't get the house cleaned, I did go to bed at 10 pm on Saturday night though. 

On Saturday, Albus & I ran a 5K that ended with beer (praise hands!) at Red Hare Brewing. They have this really cool wall, pictured above. ALL I WANTED was a good picture of Albus, my cousin, and me in front of this damn wall. We asked three different people and this is the best that we got. I felt so irritated that we couldn't get someone to tell us to move one way or the other, and then I felt even worse for insisting that we take it a third time because I just wanted something nice to Instagram. I don't usually have the perfectionist thing going on, but honestly how hard was it to get this picture right?

a 5K with beer, wings, AND pups? count us in. #redharebrewery

A post shared by Kasey Decker (@kdsmoove) on Mar 4, 2017 at 8:46am PST

Albus loves running 5Ks, it was his 4th one and we finished in 46 minutes! I don't run very fast, if we're being honest. He could probably do a 7 minute mile. I love pup friendly 5Ks because that means there are other dogs for him to interact with. Sometimes I worry that he's going to be that obnoxious only child, so I have to make sure to socialize him. Read, I make sure to socialize myself because some weekends I don't even leave the house or interact with any humans. Plus he made a new lady friend!

If you follow me on snapchat or instagram, you also got a sneak peek of us trying to get the little monster to swim. For some reason he is afraid of the water! He can definitely swim, but straight refuses to get in the water. We even tried throwing balls in the water for him to chase! I'm guessing we'll have to wait until it's warm outside so that I can get in the water with him. Sometimes he can be super clingy. Either way, it was a big weekend for both of us.

So somehow this turned into a weekend update! What did y'all get into this weekend? How ready for spring weather to stick around are we? It was 30-something degrees when we started that 5K on Saturday. BRR.

February Through The Lens & March Goals

I would say I'm surprised that we've made it to March, but that would just be a lie. February felt like such  a long month considering it was only 28 days. Let's see what February looked like through the lens of my camera! It's been a minute since I've done one of these! 

Obviously, Albus, the most photogenic pup in the world takes the cake on most of them. He tuned EIGHT MONTHS old, he let me dress him up for the Super Bowl, he ran his 4th 5K (we have number 5 coming up this weekend!) and he had a friend stay over for a whole week! He also managed to officially transition out of the crate life, although he still sleeps in there on his own accord. Then, it was National Margarita Day, and a month of yard work man. 

I would do a recap of my February goals, but aside from keeping the house clean, I failed miserably. I'm going to keep blog three times a week on my to-do list. Here are a few more I want to accomplish:

1. The Yard. I gotta keep up the exhausting work so that this summer my house looks like the cover of a Southern Living magazine.  Every little bit counts or something, I have to find a mantra that keeps me from getting frustrated. 

2. Work on the blog. I want to get back to scheduling posts because I'm still working on becoming a morning person, so it's a lot easier to get stuff scheduled the night before than to try to hammer something out while watching the Today Show in the morning.. I also want to get back into the whole swing of the community aspect of it. I missed y'all!

3. Read at least three books. I only read one book in February, I mean it was 900 pages, but it was still just one book. I want to read at least three. Last night I started Big Little Lies and I also have All The Missing Girls so I need one more to knock off the list in March. Any suggestions?

What did February look like through your camera? What are you reading this month?

Five For Friday!

WE MADE IT GUYS. This week was a long one, I really wasn't sure we would make it to Friday. It was one of those weeks when Tuesday felt like Thursday and you just couldn't catch up. I wish that today was Saturday though, because it's supposed to be sunny and 80 degrees today, but rain tomorrow. Can I just get a sunny Saturday please? 

1// Hot. Yoga. Y'all. yesterday I took a FIVE THIRTY AM hot yoga class at be yoga. It kicked my butt, but it was awesome at the same time. My core is still sore today. Remember that time I did 30 days at the barre?! I don't think I could do 30 straight days of this, but I think I might stick to once a week or something...

2// We're getting SO CLOSE to Beauty and the Beast. I'm seriously considering buying this shirt to wear to the premiere. I need everyone's input please. It looks so soft and comfy! But also I'm allegedly an adult, so does that make it a frivolous purchase?

3//Wanderlust. I subscribe to all of those travel deal e-mails and it's killing me. I want to buy one of the trips that are on flash sale and just jump on a plane. I confess, I enter all of the sweepstakes that they tease me with too. I know the odds of winning are about the same as winning the actual lottery, but you can't win if you don't play, right? Turns out heavy planning for Ireland & Scotland next summer isn't tiding me over. Have you been anywhere exciting lately? Can I go with you next time?

4// House of pups. I've been dog sitting this week, so there are more dogs in the house than humans. I mean, there's just Albus & Little Bear, but still. Albus was so stressed out about a dog being in his house while he was in his crate, that I've been letting him stay outside of the crate. We're 2 for 2 on days out of the crate without destroying anything, so hopefully we make it a perfect three for three today.

GUYS. Little Bear is here + that means I don't have to stay in my crate while mom is at work! #albusdpup

A post shared by Albus Decker (@albusdpup) on Feb 22, 2017 at 11:25am PST

5// Kroger. Flowers. I bought the manager's special daisies on Super Bowl Sunday, they're STILL pretty in their little vases all around the house. I don't know if we've ever talked about my obsession with daisies, but they're my absolute favorite flower ever. They just make a room so happy and bright and I just love them. Not that I'm too picky about any flowers that are beautiful, but feel free to make it a drinking game every time my instagram features them. I think this one yesterday makes at least three since I brought them home...

What were the highlights of your week? Do you have your Beauty & the Beast tickets yet? 

Albus: 8 Month Pupdate

So, yesterday, Albus turned EIGHT MONTHS OLD. It's crazy because he was born the day before I closed on my house, which means today I've officially been a homeowner for 8 months. When we hit July 17th, this will officially be the longest time I've lived in the same place since I moved out for college. Just putting that one out there. 

ANYWAYS. So Albus is eight months old now. He's currently in a phase where he wants to attack any and all fluff. His favorite activity is fetch, but we've discovered the hard way that the ball will go through the fence if you throw it just right. So we're waiting on more balls from Amazon. (ps. if you're a chuckit person, definitely get the balls from Amazon. They're easily half price of anywhere I've seen them in stores.) In the meantime, he's on a mission to cover the house in fluff. Mean mom that I am, I stopped buying toys with fluff in them. Now he's defluffed his bed. 

We're slowly working on him being home alone outside of the crate, but usually when I let him stay out of the crate, I find him in the crate anyways. You know, it's his safe space. He's a digger though, so I don't know if we'll ever get to the point where I leave him the option of the backyard. 

He's also, finally, found a brand of food that he likes that's available more places than Tractor Supply. It's a little more expensive than the tractor supply food, but I can have it delivered fo'free with Amazon or pick it up at PetSmart which is NOT forty five minutes away. Now, if we could just master the loose leash walking we would be golden! 

Do you have any pup training tricks? Anything fun planned for this weekend? I'll be spending the entire weekend in the yard trying to make it look like the cover of a Southern Living magazine....

It's Called Vicious Trollop

Okay so I didn't have anything clever to title this post and I'm watching Gilmore Girls, so there you go. I have a DVR that's about 65% full and instead I just watch reruns of Gilmore Girls on a channel where they edit out "damn" and "hell." SPEAKING OF, is it too late to do a recap of all of my feelings on the revival? It's probably coming soon. Anyways 

Since I'm still working on , I thought I'd go through some of my recent DSLR shots and share those instead! I'm still working on the whole teach yourself to be a great photographer with youtube videos adventure. So here are some fun snaps I've taken lately. 

CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW TINY THIS LITTLE MONSTER USED TO BE. LOOK. AT. THAT. FACE.

For my birthday I had a bonfire complete with a S'mores bar, that I was very proud of if we're being for real for real. I mulled apple cider and sausage balls and didn't burn the house down. It came close a couple of times though... Obviously we were having too much fun roasting marshmallows (ps, those telescoping things are probably meant for hot dogs, but they were so clutch for marshmallows too!) that I didn't get many pictures after that. 

Now I really want s'mores. I'm toting my camera all of the places these days, so there might be more posts like this in the future.... What have you been capturing lately? 

Five Things That Changed With a Puppy

Listen, before I piss of any moms out there, I realize that a puppy is not the same thing as a baby. HOWEVER, I have noticed a lot of similarities between this little monster and the hilarious stories people tell about their toddlers. So I think it makes complete sense that people get puppies before they decide to have babies. Albus has so much freaking personality, sometimes I can't handle it.

1. Everything is a chew toy. I subscribe the little monster to BarkBox but his favorite things to chew on are: my hair, empty water bottles, bras, the ChuckIt, the buttons on our throw pillows, my comforter, really just anything he's not supposed to play with, he wants to play with it.

2. Priorities change. I don't know if this is going to be true for everyone, but man I feel some kind of guilt if I do something after work that the pup can't come to. If I know I'm going to have to work late or have to go somewhere he's not allowed to go, I take him to daycare. You read that right, he goes to doggy daycare.

3. Sleeping in? Dream on. I keep waiting for Albus to adopt mom's sleep schedule, but here we are, 6 months in, and he still wants to get up at 5:30 am every morning. He lets me know it's time to get up by jumping up on the bed & laying directly on my head. It's a great tactic, because it's really hard to go back to sleep when you can't breathe..

4. Hair. Everywhere. First of all, as a human, I shed constantly. Like, every shower I think "yep. this is it, this is the day I go bald." COMBINE that with tiny little dog hair everywhere? I am constantly covered in dog hair. I already have lint rollers everywhere, but it's a constant battle.

5. Coming home is the best. Y'all. It doesn't matter if I have been gone for five minutes or four hours, he is SO EXCITED to see me. Like OMG MOM YOU HAVE BEEN GONE FOREVER I THOUGHT YOU WOULD NEVER BE BACK! It's a really fantastic feeling.

Do you have a little monster? I promise that's a term of endearment, most of the time. 

Adventures With Albus

I know I talked about this handsome little monster on Wednesday, but I want to formally introduce everyone to Albus. Sometimes I want to tell people his name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Decker and see if they get the joke, because I'm pretty sure it would be a good way to tell if we should be friends or not...

Guys. I thought I knew what I was getting into with a puppy, at least a little bit, I was wrong. Albus is about 50% snuggle monster & 50% tornado. I swear he only has two speeds: passed out or Tasmanian devil. He's been a handful since day one. 

I picked the little monster (as I have come to call him, obviously in a very loving manner) from a family friend's farm about an hour and a half north of where I live. She told me to bring a box for him to ride in, which I did, and he wanted to sit in my lap. Mind you, we're going about 80 down the highway. From that moment on, he has honestly been my shadow.

In typical lab fashion, he's grown like a weed. The original estimate was 50 pounds. Overachiever that he is, he breezed right past that. He just turned 7 months old (yeah, I know I missed the instagram with his chalkboard, I'm a bad pupmom) and is already sitting pretty at 60 pounds. His legs have been the same length for the past few months, which has been hilarious, he reminds me of Bambi when he first learns to stand up.

We took the first puppy training class at PetSmart and it was definitely worth the money, so worth it that we even signed up for the Intermediate class. We start on Super Bowl Sunday (but don't worry, plenty of time before kickoff.) We're still working on all of the things, especially stay... and the whole loose leash thing. He's just so excited whenever we go on a walk that he wants to go a lot faster than I do. Or smell everything. We've almost mastered not pulling on the leash.

Now, what I could really use tips on is how to make him less of a morning person. He is up every morning at 6:15am and ready. to. play. Never wants to let mom have a cup of coffee before roughhousing. How does he do that? Maybe the question is how can I become more of a morning person like him? I don't see that one happening any time soon. Tell me about your pups! Are they also crazy morning people? Or do they let you sleep in?