Nameless

I'm calling the troops in because we need help! We thought we had agreed on a name that was perfect and adorable. However, we both agree (shocker!) that Georgia Peaches just isn't running off the tongue like it should for a dog. Maybe it had to do with the fact, I was calling her Peaches and Cony was calling her Georgia. He refuses to call her Peaches, because it reminds him of clients he used to have while working at Allstate in downtown Atlanta (and that's all I can say about it).

Here are some other options we've come up with:

Star; short for Starboard; and when we get a second dog, we'll name him/her Port.

Abby; short for Abigail; a true English name.

Honey

Dotty

This poor thing needs a name and if you feel like sharing a name... we're all ears! Shoot... I might even send you a little surprise if we use the name you give us. We've had our unborn children's names picked for years and we can't decide or agree on a name for a dog. What's wrong with this picture?

On another note, I've signed up for a free online photography challenge/course for the month of February (thank you Clairissa). If you are interested... go sign up here! I'll be sharing my journey on a daily basis and would love to keep up with yours.

It's a girl!

Here she is, our cute little surprise...our new Old English Bulldog. We couldn't agree on a name, so we compromised on Georgia Peaches. No, that is not a joke. She was a perfect ending to a perfect day and we are in love with her.

Here she is modeling her new Anthropologie petticoat. That's right folks. You are looking at the most stylish bulldog ever.

We've been prepping for the last 3 weeks... I've been sewing pillows and making girlie things, while Cony has been reading a 'How to Train Your Dog' book. Seem a little obsessive?

Found the perfect dog treat container...

This was on our drive to New Hampshire to pick up Peaches. Simply dreamy.

I love working for the University, because if Cony doesn't have to go to class, I don't have to go to work! Today we spent the day with some new friends from Cali at Horsebarn Hill, sledding. Cony loves it so much, he's like a kid in a candy store. It's adorable.

Warm front..

It's cold around these here parts. For example, if it gets 19 degrees it's considered a warm front. We woke up this morning to -9 degree weather.. yes, I said NEGATIVE! We still have close to 3 feet of snow on the ground and we are getting another storm on Tuesday through Thursday. We are loving it at the moment, but I have a sneaky suspicion that we'll be ready for Spring come March (possibly even next week).

I'm convinced it's not the snow on the road that causes problems. It's the piles of snow on the side of the roads because you can't see what's around the corner. Below you will see an example of how big the piles actually are...

Finished my first week of incorporating the new full time job into my schedule. So far so good. I love that Cony and I get to commute to school/work together and he can pop into my office whenever he's walking by. Because yes, I have my very own office. Door and all. Not gonna lie, it's kinda cool. I'm still tutoring 3 nights a week and working at Pottery Barn on Friday and Saturdays. I can't give up the discount. Especially if we buy a home...

That's right my friends, we have officially become house hunters. We've found a few that we are in love with and hope things work out and become home owners. Things are looking good so far, but we are keeping our guard up just in case. When I can, I'll share some photos.

We're keeping our guard up about a few things because so many blessings came pouring down at the same time, it's a little overwhelming. We are not pregnant but do have a cute little surprise to share come Thursday.

Speaking of pregnancy my doctor has given me a different path he wants me to take EVERY time he calls me. It's like he can't remember who he's talking to. He informed me that I have too much testosterone and I don't ovulate. Really? I could have told you that when I was 15 and had more hair on my body then some boys. Or when I could bench press 185 when I was 16. Take your pick, because there's more to choose from. However, I really appreciate that he's helping us do all we can to get pregnant naturally before he gives me drugs. That's how I know he's the right doctor for us.

20 and counting..

I'm sure y'all know that we got hit by a blizzard last night. We woke up to more than 20" on the ground. That does not include the 5" that was still on the ground from the weekend. We thought we'd go out and tackle the cold.

This is a view from our window. Can you see the train?

This is what we found outside....

"My foots missing! My foots missing!".

While Cony helped a lot of neighbors dig their cars out.....

I went for a walk,

exploring the old thread mill next door.

'Workin' hard for the money..'.

Only took him about an hour (with some help from me).

You know it's a bad storm, when Connecticut shuts down most everything and the Governor tells us to NOT drive anywhere! I was all prepped and ready for the storm, until last night when I started some projects and didn't have the one thing I needed to finish.... slightly annoying.

Other than digging cars out, today we've enjoyed getting annoyed with each other, Rummikub, and a classic musical movie with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra. Okay... maybe the last one was just for me.

The Big 100

This marks the 100th post on this little bloggidy blog. In "celebration" let me share with you some of my favorite photos of my fam fam cause I'm missin' them kinda badly.

In order to keep photography a passion and outlet, I've made the decision to hold tight on the business side until I can upgrade to a film camera. The reason? I feel like digital photography has gone way beyond mainstream. It's the thing to do and honestly I'm kinda sick of competing with the women next door that just bought an SLR camera and calls herself a photographer.

I want to bring the true art back into photography. Plus I hate to edit. I hate sitting at the computer trying to get these photos to look the way the client thinks they want them to look. With film, you have to know your stuff and you get what you get. That just sounds amazing to me.

On a side note. I also have the opinion that everyone deserves beautiful photos no matter what they're taken with and there is a wealth of knowledge to be learned and I'm opened to sharing what little I know. I just don't think that because you have a camera you need to make a business out of it. (There. I've said my piece.)

Here's to any changes you're making this year with a smooth transition!

Ducks in Our Road...

Life's tough. The goal of this blog is to share our journey in life with family and friends from afar. I also want this blog to be a source of inspiration. However, when we're in the thick of a trial or our demons are out to get us, how do we share our pain and grief without sounding like Debbie Downer or saying too much. Because let's face it, people over share online. I'm trying to find the happy medium because the last thing I want is for someone to leave our life here online feeling worse about themselves.... whether it's because you think our life is so blissfully perfect or because I'm complaining.

So let's play catch up, shall we? On New Year's Day we celebrated the new year coming in AND our 6th month anniversary of being in New England. Although it's been one of the most trying situations in our life, it's been the most rewarding. Most exciting news...

1.) Cony destroyed by Le Creuset dutch oven by turning on the wrong burner to boil eggs. With it being one of my most prized possessions I'm surprisingly not that upset.

2.) I guess I was trying to get back at him when I tried to drive our car down some stairs Jason Bourne style. Fortunately after about 30 minutes we were able to angle the car and get it unstuck with no major damage. It's a long story of how it happened but just know that it could have happened to anyone under the circumstances.

3.) Just when I felt like the theme song of my life was 'She's Ready to Blow'... Cony found out he was awarded an assistantship. Which means we no longer have to pay for OUT-of-state tuition AND he gets a small stipend each month. The tuition was the biggest concern of ours because it was A lot of dough.

4.) The day after we found out the great news for Cony, I had an interview on campus for a full time job and I got it! It's temporary but I have a feeling it will open more doors when the time is right. It all happened so quickly... Wednesday- friend Brenna called me to send her my resume, Thursday- the Director called for an interview, Friday- had interview and was hired on the spot.

Now that all these great things are happening we have a feeling of apprehension because we've been fighting for air for so long, it's nice to breath but still have our guards up. Does that make sense or am I blowing smoke?

Before putting Christmas away, I took some photos of our most favorite gifts we received this year. Sorry mom, I didn't take a picture of the CD. That was by far our favorite gift.

Getting holiday cards in the mail is such a treat and I hoped there was one in our mailbox everyday.

Cony's gift to me. Now my craft boxes are out and I'm making messes!!

Homemade gifts are the best! Thanks Gina!

What can I say? Drawings from my favorite Jordan just melts my heart.

Every time I went into the post office, I secretly wanted someone to send me something in this mailer. And my wish came true..

A friend from crew who actually reads this blog saw this spork and sent it to us (in the above mailer) AND drew us a card. It's the small things that make you feel the most loved.

Cony picked this little guy out for our new holiday decoration of 2010. Sometimes that man surprises me.

This weekend it snowed and I didn't have to work! The beautiful kind of snow where there isn't a 50 mph gust of wind that blows it all to one spot. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for my Georgia peeps that y'all can get the snow that's expected tonight so ya can experience what we did. Clean house, fridge full of food, and a crock pot cooking dinner all day long. That's heaven my friends.

Went walking on water for the first time. Neither one of us has ever lived where all the surrounding bodies of water freeze over. Have you ever been able to walk from one end to the other on a frozen lake?

I couldn't resist taking a photo of this tree that's still lit up for Christmas. Imagine it at night with a fresh coat of snow on the branches...

Didn't think we actually had ducks in our road, did ya? We followed this little husband and wife duo for a few minutes so they wouldn't get killed. Ironically they got me thinking about our life. We may have road blocks in our path, but sometimes those blocks can help us slow down, re-evaluate and come out stronger in the end... with a smile on our face.

If you've made it to the end, pat yourself on the back for reading our novel. I have a feeling 2011 is going to be a great year and hope all y'alls deepest desires come true and quietist prayers are answered.