Utahhhhh, People Working Together

So these are all the pics from our trip to Utah! In one post! I took minimal photos and got most of these from J and our moms. Yay for other people taking photos. Without further ado!

Tuesday // So this is us flying over Connecticut. IT. IS. SO. GREEN. I actually really love the green. When we first moved here, we kept driving around trying to find neighborhoods and suburbs, and there weren't that many. Seeing an aerial view, it makes sense! It's mostly like, houses tucked in the woods, which is v cute. 

Cookies and cream frappuccino at the Minneapolis airport. THE BEST. I can't remember what this place was called, but it was v good. Bless coffee shops. They are like my home away from home.

Anddddddd here we are flying over Utah lol. Alllllll suburbs and brown! Is there somewhere that has the suburbs like Utah, with the green like Connecticut? Let me know. In the market, here!

I was telling J he could be a model because he has a beautiful resting face. This was the photo I took afterward of his resting face lol. Gosh, especially once he gets his man bun he gonna be on that model train!

We stopped at Pizzeria Limone before we even went home. Straight from the airport, my babies. Yes, it's that good. Also I forgot to get a picture of the divino, but it is still the best dessert pizza in all the land. Oh, maybe Max Brenner ties or is better? Idk. 

So we use Rover (formerly DogVacay) when we are out of town/gone all day. It's like Airbnb, but for dogs. I love it because it's just someone's house and you know your pup is well taken care of. If you sign up for it, use this link so I can get $20 for T. #notsponsored. Just a fan. When I really wanted a dog I signed up for it. Watching a few dogs definitely held me over until we could get Tucker!

Anyway, Tucker made this bulldog friend last week while I was in the city for school, and he was there again on the 4th of July! They are cute. It makes us feel like we need to get a bulldog friend for him...

The rest of the day we just swam and chilled! Utah is flat, so we were able to watch fireworks (it was the 4th of July) from my inlaw's backyard! It was so nice! They went on for a long time too! I miss them haha. In Connecticut, each town does them on a different day, and you have to park and take shuttles to the places to view them, so it's pretty crowded. (We never went, this is just what I heard. So if it's wrong, forgive me.)

Wednesday // The next morning we picked up Kneader's breakfast for J's fam! I make a pretty mean French toast with sweet syrup, but nothing beats Kneader's. 

This is J pre-haircut. Keep reading to see him post-haircut.

This is what like, 13 orders of French toast look like, in case you're wondering. They had to take some out and hand them to us separately, because they couldn't fit through the window lol. 

Also, lol. So on this trip I was still in school. Like, we left on a Tuesday, and I had class Thursday and the next Tuesday. I kept forgetting? I had papers and stuff due though. So on Wednesday (and for like 1 hour early Thursday morning) I wrote a paper. It was supposed to be 10 pages with 8 references, but I just did 8 pages with 6 references because I'm over it. I wasn't expecting to get a good grade, but guess what? This girl got a 90/100 lol. Also, on that note, I studied for a research final the night before and the morning train ride to. Guess what I got? 104/100 lol. I got every single question right, including the extra credit!

All of this is to say that I think I do better in school when I miss some days and don't do any of the reading, lol!!!

So our friends own JZ Style Salon in American Fork, and it is seriously the cutest ever! We always go when we go back to Utah. If you haven't been, YOU. NEED. TO. It has such a cute, fun vibe and all the girls are so nice. Like I need to get them to decorate my house because the interior design there is 10/10. 

Anyway, I got my bangs back this time! I feel like I am my true self with bangs. When we were driving home, J was like, "Welcome back!" lol. I got them choppier this time, so they don't have to always look so perfect. I am v excited!

Also this is J's parent's cat. He was laying in the sink and then I tucked him in. We bonded.

That night we had a birthday party for J! This is my nephew swimming lol. 

My side of the fam came straight from the airport. They were just in Spokane visiting my grandma and I am jealous. I love Spokane.

Thursday // We went to Beans and Brews for breakfast. I am sad they don't do a points card anymore because I was like, SO CLOSE to getting a free drink. And they do 24 oz hot chocolate there which is amazing. The road getting off the freeway to AF Canyon is one of my favorite views in UT. 

Then we drove up to Tibble Fork. It was a fave of ours when we lived there. I don't know what construction they did, but it looks really pretty! I would be really interested to see before and after photos.

We swam for a bit and then went to lunches! I went to lunch with one of my friends from my old work who I LOVE AND MISS SO. MUCH. It was good to chat and catch up. People are cool and doing cool things. It's fun to be gone for a bit and then come back and hear what has changed!

J went to Station 22 with his mom! How cute is this picture he took lol. I found it on his Google Photos. I just want my sons to love me as much as J loves his mom! 

I can't remember what happened after that. Probably we swam, because that's what we did in all our spare time lol. Do you think I got tan? Cause guess what, I didn't. One of these days I'm going to go to frickin' Hawaii or something and just get so tan. Just so I can say I was tan once in my life. 

For dinner my mom and I went to Tsunami! It was SO GOOD. So I thought the roll I liked was called Sean Connery, but it's actually the Honeybadger that is my favorite. It has these little crunch onions that are SO GOOD and is wrapped in avocado. GET IT. We sat at the bar and chatted with the guy making the sushi. It was such a funny experience. When we first sat down, my mom jokingly was like, "You don't mind if we watch you, do you?!" Just to be funny, ya know? And the guy was like, "Well, it used to make me nervous but I am used to it now! So it's fine!" And we were like.... "Good?" Lol.

AND THEN there was tofu in one of the rolls. My mom is like, weird about tofu for some reason. So she was trying to pick it out of a piece of sushi but is like, beginner chopstick level. So I was telling her it's like a little surgery and was picking it out for her. Then, we looked up and the sushi chef was like, "What are you guys doing???" And we started laughing and were like, "She just wanted to taste it without tofu!" "I'm just curious!" And he was just like, "You're playing Operation!" Lol. 

Needless to say, I would definitely sit at the bar again.

So this next part is way sad. I wanted to hot tub and watch The Bachelorette. So we like, got some treats and drinks (ok they were already there but we got them out of the fridge and stuff) and got all settled in to watch it. AND THERE WASN'T A NEW EPISODE.

Why do they do this to us, you guys? I mean honestly BE CONSISTENT. We just chatted instead and it was pleasant. 

Friday // We went to breakfast with J's mom at The Original Pancake House. I got the eggs Benedict and it was A+. They give you SO MUCH food there! It's v good though. 

Right after that I went to lunch with my friend Leah and got açai bowls! It was good to catch up! 

When I got back I swam for a bit and then J and I got Orange Peel. J gets the Orange Burst (or something like that) and I get this. I saw the recipe on Utah Grubs and let me tell you. IT'S SO GOOD! Boba, man. 😋

Friday was the night of J's bachelor party (we were there for a wedding), so I hung out with my mom. We went through all the stuff J and I had at her house from living there last year. It felt good to get organized! Then we got snow cones from Hokulia, aka the best snow shack ever. Are there snow cones in Connecticut or New York City? I need one, bad.

So also we went through old photos. It was so funny. My mom put all our profession photos into a photo album, and in my 3 year old and 4 year old photos I am dressed in the exact same outfit hahahahaha. She said she feels bad about it; I just lol. I guess I grew like 0% those years?

Also we found this vintage photo of Trixie with our old dog, Buster. This photo was taken in 2001 YOU GUYS. She just died in 2017. It made us feel so weird when we found it. We were like, "She was almost 17 or 18?!?!" My mom is convinced we got her in the summer and she was smaller than this. So, it was like a Twilight Zone. Also notice how she was all black! The white on her was just grey because she was so old haha. Oh, and Buster was a Scottish and Boston terrier mix. They say he was pretty ugly but I think he's a cutie. I like his ears.

Saturday // We took a family picture with J's family. This is my mom doing a test photo on me after I set up the settings haha. Awkward turtle for sure.

The family picture! We did really well matching for it being a very last minute thing! Proud.

Then we went to see my sister's new house. J hadn't seen it so he got the grand tour! My niece was like so excited to show us her room lol. She turned on Taylor Swift and made us all dance hahaha. Also idk what my nephew is doing in the picture but it's funny and cute.

So it was also J's birthday (well it was technically the day after we got home, but we celebrated it there). If you remember from my last trip, my mom had this bathrobe that I was OBSESSED WITH.  They found them at Downeast for like $20 and I was like, "Why didn't you buy so many?!" So my sister got J one for his birthday, but then was like, "I know Em will steal it so I got her one too" lol. She is very right. I love bathrobes. 

Here's what me and J would look like if we were parents lol.

Then we went back to J's parent's house and swam for a bit. 

Then we got ready for the wedding. This is J post haircut. SMOKIN', MAN. He could model like... a men's fragrance.

Some pics from the wedding we went to! It was seriously the cutest ever! The bride had a daughter and the groom brought her up there during the ceremony and asked if he could be her dad forever. She said yes and he gave her a necklace and IT WAS THE CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD. Like writing it now I have goosebumps. SOOOO CUTE. Also, J was the best man and gave a lil' speech lol. It was cute as well.

Sunday // We left! My mom is still feeding Skully, the feral cat I have been trying to condition to be domesticated for like 2 years lol.

We munched on some candy sushi my sis gave J for his birthday on the ride home. It was v good!

All in all it was a successful trip! It confirmed for us that we want to be in the West! So we are v excited for our next move there! It takes flippin' forever to get to Utah from Connecticut, so it will be nice to be like a one or two hour plane ride away in the future! Thanks to everyone in Utah who spent time with us! You all made it a good trip!

XOXO

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E

P.S. The title of this post comes from this song, which my friend Sydney introduced me to. I sing it all the time. Especially when in Utah lol. 

A Happy List: 162

My new commute is so much shorter than it was! We are five minutes from a train station, as opposed to twenty! / So my mom got an alarm system. She set it for the front door, but it was still counting down and scary. So I was teasing J and was like, "Hurry!!!! WE ONLY HAVE 30 SECONDS! HURRY!!" He was in the middle of gathering his stuff to leave. I turned around a few seconds later and he had a box of donuts and was running for the garage door hahahahah. #priorities / Getting good grades on projects I put minimal effort into. / Catching up on my Bloglovin' feed for the first time in like, a year. / Being practically done with school! I technically have one 2 hour class once a week until the second week of August, but I'm not counting that because it's whatever. / Editing a shoot! I've missed photography as a side hustle. / Having two sinks again. I hateeeee sharing a sink lol. I'm probably the worst to live with. / My mom bought us chocolate cake donuts with chocolate frosting (because they don't exist in CT) and it was the sweetest thing. / Having bangs again. / All the new Netflix shows that are out! Criminal Minds isn't as good as I remember it, though? 

Here are some funny things people said this week:

J when I suggested we go to Taco Bell: *said really fast* Aweeee, you're so nice and sweet because it's not your favorite place but you go there for me sometimes.

My mom: I feel like I should pinch your butt!

Me on my Instagram story: *picture of a rose plant* How do I keep this alive?
My grandma: Water

XOXO
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E

Weekend Links

Has anyone else watched Gypsy? It's pretty good but I feel it could have ended stronger. Also I have to lol because it's about a therapist who lives in Connecticut and commutes to the city. And I'm an almost therapist who lives in Connecticut and commutes to the city. 😱

THIS HARRY POTTER COLLECTIVE GIVES ME LIFE.

Um, dad goals right here.

Do you even love your dog/cat if you don't do this?

This is the cutest dress!

You need these for your skincare routine! They are normally $5, but are on sale for $2.50 right now. I would have bought 10 but they only let me get 3 lol.

I have a hard time just sitting and watching T.V., so I picked up one of these a few weeks ago and it's been really fun to get back to basics!

XOXO
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E

Connecticut Guide: Nom Eez (Ramen!)

So I mentioned yesterday that we moved! We now live pretty dang close to Fairfield, Connecticut, like we could throw a rock and hit the town line. We are technically in Bridgeport. It has a reputation for being pretty dangerous, but since we are so close to the town line our little area is pretty safe. (At least according to the maps on Trulia lol). Anyway, so I always feel the need to let people know we are in a safer area of Bridgeport and not threatening our lives.

ANYWAY. Fairfield is like A+ food wise, I hear. Our biggest complaint about Connecticut is that there aren't many places that are in between fast food and restaurants. Ya know? Like places you can order food and sit down, but it doesn't have a drive thru and you don't have to pay a waiter.

So apparently Fairfield has these places and I'm like "J I TOLD YOU WE WERE JUST LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACES."

Needless to say, our new apartment has me feeling very inspired and creative. Thus the sudden increase in blogging. Also I have more time, so maybe that's it? Idk. WHO CARES LET'S TALK ABOUT FOOD.

So this place is called Nom Eez and is SO. GOOD. They also sell Donut Crazy donuts which is weird but amazing, because they are our favorite donuts.

J got this rice which was like $8 and I honestly would get that next time. I got the ramen (pictured below) and it was so good, but also like $11 I think. And with the rice I felt like it was pretty fancy and a lot of food? So we are probably going to stick with that!

When I asked the girl to box up my ramen, she was like, "Oh you didn't like it?" And I was like, "I did, I am just done?" Lol. But then also we went out of town shortly after and I never finished eating it. Also I think it's still in my fridge and it's been there for definitely 2 weeks. So that will be fun.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE BACK ME UP ON THIS!!!! I SWEAR TO YOU Androids take photos that look different than iPhones? Like they look more bubbled and weird to me. I don't know. I can't stand it though. My phone shattered so all my photos have weird light leaks now, but whatever.

So, hopefully I'll be able to give you guys some yummy Connecticut food recs now that we are closer to good food!

XOXO

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E

Chillin' W/ Ma Boys

So I'm pretty much done with school until September, so blog posts comin' your way!! These pics are from forever ago when we explored the dog park with T. This was 5 minutes from our old apartment! #bae

So something gross about Connecticut is that there are ticks. Tucker already has Lyme disease so I guess it doesn't matter, but also they are so gross and I hate them. They are so small, like how are you supposed to be able to find them in a fluffer (a fluffy dog)?!?! We found one in Tucker's ear and I FREAKED out. I stripped down, made J check me everywhere, and then took a one hour shower lol.

Needless to say, T hasn't been to many dog parks since then. I need to take him to the one by our new apartment and see if it's any better tick-wise.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again! I. Can. Not. Wait. To. Get. Back. To. The. West. Coast.

I know I need to appreciate this moment and blah blah blah blah. But I'm really strugglin'! I feel we are so close to moving (10 months!) and I am so close to being done with school FOREVER it's just getting hard to keep a way positive attitude. I just want it to be over and be moved already! Gah!

XOXO

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E

A Happy List: 161

1. / I have been doing more social media things lately and it's been so nice to have some sort of a job! Getting into tons of debt is no fun but being able to pay for some vacation and side stuff with my income has been really nice!

2. / TUCKER! He is a dream. He is SO SMART. I want to train him to be a therapy dog and he is well on his way! We have had him for about a week and he has already learned sit, lay, shake, and wait for food. He learns tricks in under ten minutes, I swear to you! Next I want to teach him how to fetch on command, and then teach him to get his leash and bring it when he wants to go out.

3. / So J builds computers and is starting to turn profit too! I can't get over how cool it is he builds. computers. LIKE WHAT! Who builds computers?? It's amazing to me because I like, could not at all.

4. / A guy on the subway gave me his seat. Chivalry does exist! This used to happen more to me when I lived in New York (duh) but hasn't happened in so long!

5. / Humidity! I hate what it does to my hair, but LOVE how it feels! If you guys follow me on my Snapchat (although I have been using Instagram more now) you know I often sit in the bathroom with the shower running and eat cereal lol. It's my go to when I'm sad. The humidity feels like how the shower feels! I love it!

6. / My stereo has been broken for about a month now. I turned on the radio the other day and they were playing Hands Down by Dashboard Confessional! This was my favorite song for so long! Definitely made my day.

7. / One of the advertisements on The Art of Charm was for underwear lol. 

8. / We move into our new apartment this week and I'm so excited! It's SO BEAUTIFUL! I'll have to do a lil' apartment tour. I photographed our New York apartment but haven't done very good job at photographing our current place. Oh well.

9. / A new Planet of the Apes is coming out! I loveeee Planet of the Apes for some reason? Like it is debatably my favorite movie to watch when I'm sad.

10. / I have made SUCH good food this weekend! These vegetarian lettuce wraps were so good. We ate this broccoli crescent wrap in like, 2 seconds straight. I also do avocado toast with cream cheese, red pepper flakes and honey that is TO DIE FOR! Oh, and I made French toast with French bread and my mom's buttermilk syrup recipe. It's the best. J said it was better than Kneader's so TAKE THAT UTAH!

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Here are some funny things people said this week:

J: "Em. Sometimes at work we go DAYS without any lulz."

Me: "Hey! Don't eat those! They're for a recipe I am making later."

J: "Wait... why are there two gone though?"

Me: "..."

My mom: *answers her phone* "Hello? Em, hold on. I have to call you back." 

Me: "Ok?"

J: "Ok, what the fetch is that app that like goes for a second and then rewinds?"

Me: "Boomerang?"

J: "Yes!!! It's starting to annoy me, it's everywhere!!"

J: "I made us a pizza! And I made you a little plate. But then I ate the whole pizza. Now I don't feel so good." 

J: "Em! I blogged!"

Me: "No way!? Good job bb!"

J: "Probably like one person read it. And it was me."

J: "Em, I am DTB. Down to braid!"

J while playing video games with friends: "Wait, who's titanium biceps? Oh that's you? K."

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It's been a minute since I've done these happy lists! I'm almost done with my crazy semester of school and then I'll have a little break. One of my friends might come out to visit and I'm v excited!

XOXO

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E

P.S. Do you guys like the numbered format better than the old format I did where it looked like a tree? I think I like it better. 

P.P.S. I just realized this picture is a little blurry. Ugh! This is my argument for why DSLRs are better than handheld! I use my handheld every now and then when I need quick 

Weekend Links

This video about addiction IS SO GOOD. If you never click a link I post, please please please click this one. It's so good and something everyone should know.

This video of beagles that are used for lab testing being released for the first time is SO PURE. It makes me sick people experiment stupid cosmetics on poor animals. If anyone knows of a good app that says what is cruelty free, let me know! (I downloaded the one they reference in the video and it keeps giving me an error!)

These dog memes are TOO GOOD.

One of my favorite shows is being turned into books!!

Highly recommend this video about Scleroderma. Chanel is truly inspiring!!

For any LDS friends struggling with church culture, this article is really good! (Also move out of your state if you can lol.)

Favorite dresses under $25:


XOXO
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E

Pupdate: 1 Week

How far along: Officially 1 week today!

Name: Tucker

Gender: Boy

Sleep: He didn't sleep at all the first night we got him, but now he is sleeping through the night. He used his bed for the first time last night! We crated him the first two nights, but I feel bad keeping him cooped up, so now we close our bedroom door and he does fine. 

Size: About the size of a regular suitcase.

Likes: My keys, bones, shoes, sleeping by J's fan, getting rubs, the dog park.

Dislikes: Going up and down the stairs, getting in and out of the car, when we pass by dogs and he can't play with them.

Milestones: Learned how to sit, lay, fetch and wait for food. Had his first bath and peed on my towel out of anger afterward lol. Spent 4 hours in the house alone and did not destroy anything. 

Best moment this week: When he learned how to go up and down the stairs! Now he will just randomly go up and down the stairs to prove he can. Also, since we got him from a shelter it has been really fun to see him warm up and become his "true" personality. The first night we got him he didn't sleep AT ALL (so I didn't sleep at all yay). We also had to teach him to how to play with toys, which is sad to think he is 1 and never learned how to play with a toy! He used to pace a lot too. Now he just relaxes during the day, sleeps all night, and naps when we are out of the apartment.

Food cravings: We want to train him to be a therapy dog so we are giving him 0 table scraps. 

What I'm looking forward to: Training him to be a therapy dog and being able to use him at my practice! So far he seems to have a pretty good personality for it, so I'm crossing my fingers he'll stay this way!

XOXO

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E

That Time I Locked My Dog In The Car And Had To Call The Police

GUYS. I AM THE WORST DOG MOM.

So Tucker doesn't jump for whatever reason. Like, he has before but as a general rule he doesn't. I think it might have something to do with his Lyme disease? Like at the shelter they made it sound like something that will go away in a bit, but idk. I need to do more internet searching. We are taking him to a vet this weekend.

ANYWAY. 

So, I put my keys, phone, and wallet in the car. I spent a minute or two trying to get him into the car, and ended up picking him up and putting him in. He's heavy! So then I shut the door and heard a *click*. I was like WHAT. Literally my car doors just locked. Like... just locked.

So I immediately started to freak out. I ran back to my complex (I was parked in the front) and realized I didn't have my scanner to get in and find a phone. Weirdly and luckily there was a pizza guy walking back to his car after a delivery. I ran up to him and was frantically like, "I need your phone!!!!!" He was just like, "Ok." and immediately handed it over haha. I told him I locked my dog in the car and we debated whether or not I should call 911 before my panic gave in and I just dialed it.

First time in my life ever calling 911 lol.

They transferred me to my city's 911 and I told them I locked my dog in the car. They said they would be right over. The pizza guy left and I obsessively paced around my car, looking in at Tucker and trying to open doors. Also I found a bobby pin on the ground and tried to hack it lol. No avail.

(I should add I had been crying earlier in the day because of internship frustrations and was taking Tucker to get his first puppaccino from Starbuck's as a pick me up.)

So then this woman parked behind me and obviously realized there was SOMETHIN goin' on with me. She was like, ".... what's going on??" And I was like, "I LOCKED MY DOG IN THE CAR AND THE POLICE ARE COMING BUT THEY ARE TAKING SO LONG!!!!!" So we started googling like how long it took for dogs to die in hot cars and google was like, IT CAN HAPPEN IN MINUTES!!!

So I obviously like, completely lost it at this point and was like I AM BREAKING A WINDOW!!! So the woman called her daughter (who she was coming to visit) and was like, "I am down here with a girl whose dog is locked in her car. Can you bring down a towel?" 

A few minutes later the mom started walking to the complex to meet her daughter right when I saw a police car in the distance and I was frantically like, "IT'S OK!! THE POLICE ARE HERE! POLICE!! OVER HERE!! "*WAVES* *GOES TO CENTER OF ROAD AND WAVES FRANTICALLY*

So, not one, but TWO cop cars pulled up and out popped THREE cops (like geez). The cop was like, "Which switch is the lock switch?" And I was like, "I don't know!!!" And then he just started to put the stick through the window anyway. I went to the other side and remembered it was by the handle and went back and was like, "It's by the handle!!" He was like, "Which one of these?" (Referring to the window switches.) And I was like, "No, it's by the handle." And he was like, "This one??" And I was like, "NO!!! Let me show you!" *grabs a different cop and takes her to the other window* "It's right there by the handle, do you see it??!!"

"Oh, Bill!!! It's by the handle!!!" 

At this point there were 3 cops, a mom, a daughter, 2 onlookers, and some moving guys invested in the show. 

Bill (not real name) finally got it unlocked and I jumped in, cranked the A.C. and pet him until all the people left lol. Then I took him to get a puppaccino lol. The good thing is he seemed relatively unphased? Dogs, man. So resilient! Needless to say, I am now the most paranoid person about my car doors automatically locking.

XOXO

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E

WE GOT A DOG.

GUYS. WE GOT A DOG. We have been wanting one for quite some time, but wanted to wait until school and commute times were more chilled. I had alerts set up on Petfinder to notify me of new Australian Shepherds and this dude popped up! We went to look at him last weekend while we were in the midst of searching for a new apartment. We drove 1 1/2 hours to Jersey to see him! He was so cute and so friendly, I fell in love! 

We left to sleep on it and J was like, "Wasn't that fun to play with a dog?!" And I was like, "Um yeah but we need to get him?" So after a LONG discussion we decided that if two things happened, we would get him. Thing #1: Sign for our new apartment. Thing #2: Get approval from our current apartment to get a dog without having to pay the $600 fee. 

We signed for our apartment on Sunday, but they released the 24 hold they had put on him for us. I begged them to hold him for us until we heard back from our apartment, but they wouldn't. The woman was like, "If it's meant to be, he'll still be here when you hear back!" 

So, on Wednesday J came home and was like, "Em... I've got something here for you..." and then threw a dog toy at me and was like, "THEY AREN'T GOING TO CHARGE US ANYTHING!!!" And I was like, "WHAT!! WE CAN GET HIM?!?!" And then started crying hahahaha.

Since we are both busy and the place was a 2 hour drive, we had to wait until Saturday to get him. So I called Saturday morning with my fingers crossed that he was still available, and he was!!! It was raining SO HARD on the way there and back. On the way back we had to stop in Union City for J to drop off a computer he had built. I was stressed about being in the car alone with Tucker since he was fresh out tha kennel.

So, we pulled up to an apartment complex in Union City (which is like, a city). J hopped out and started helping the people unload the computer stuff from the back of the car. He left to help them with it into their apartment.

Long story short: Tucker started yelping and whining and I went from 0-100 stressed real fast. I kept telling myself J would be back soon and was giving Tucker treats and petting him, but he wasn't calming down. So like 4 songs went by on the radio and J still wasn't back. Oh yeah, and my phone was back at home, dead for the weekend. So I had no way to contact J.

It stopped raining, so I grabbed Tucker and went for a little walk, also searching for J cause at this point I assumed he was being held by gunpoint. We walked up and down the street like, twice, chat with two strangers, explore a grassy area, and jogged for about 5 minutes... Still no sign of J.

I was SURE he had been murdered and chopped into little pieces and I was going to be widowed and have to borrow a stranger's phone to call the police and they would be like, "Why didn't you call sooner?"And I would be like, bawling and say "I DON'T KNOW WHY!!!" 

By the time Tuck and I were done running around in the drizzle I was sweating and in full on panic mode. I got back in the car and started crying lol. Like, literally 30 seconds later J comes hopping on over, waving to me through the window.

I was like, a hot mess. We talked and let's just say he is in charge of giving Tucker his pills for the next 2 weeks haha (he has Lyme). Oh, and it turns out he was gone for close to 25 minutes! Like I felt like it was long, but also a part of me felt like J would be like, "It was only 5 minutes!" But when he realized he had been gone for so long, and remembered I didn't have a cell phone he felt so bad hahahaha.

So then we drove home and the maps app weirdly took us through New York City which reminded me of how glad I am to not live there anymore (lol). Also they told us to keep Tucker's cone on so he doesn't bug his stitches, but he literally hasn't tried to bug them? And also he can't fit in his crate with the cone and we very much need him to be on the crate train game pretty much ASAP. So last night I took it off and have been using a T-shirt instead. #pray4tucker

Last night was our first night with him and he was so stressed! I had the cone on him and just let him free in our bedroom, since he couldn't fit in the crate very well. He was up walking around, whining to be on the bed, jumping off the bed, looking out the window, licking my hand, etc. until about 3:00. Which also means I was up until 3:00. Then he somehow got his cone off (or J took it off because it was annoying as heck) so I threw a t-shirt on his legs and body. After that he went in his crate (!!!!!!) and slept in there until 6:00am. 

Today he's been a little more himself. He is leash trained and a DREAM to walk. He doesn't tug or pull you or anything. He is also pretty much potty trained. He has had 2 leaks when we didn't take him out fast enough after waking up/taking him out of his crate, but nothing major. He doesn't bark that much, only whining when he doesn't get his way and then that builds up to an occasional bark. 

He has Lyme disease (Except they said it will go away? So maybe it's just an infection or something?) which we are giving him pills for until the 30th. Also, he may have something with his back feet? Like he will go up and down the stairs outside, but won't go up and down our stairs in our apartment? Also when I got him to come up, he tripped a little bit going down. Also he won't jump onto furniture, like our bed or anything? If you guys have any ideas what could be up, lemme know. We are going to take him to the vet this Saturday and will tell him about it too.

He's been so good so far! I'm v glad we got him! I can still confirm no dog will ever be as good as Trixie, but that's alright! With a lil' training he'll be a good floofer in no time. I don't know if I talk about school on here or not? And am too lazy to search back my posts, but I am in school to be a therapist and will be done in less than a year! So I really want to train him to be a therapy dog and think he could be really beneficial to clients. People love him so far! I swear every time we walk him and pass someone they stop and pet him. We took him to the dog park just barely and he was just licking all the dogs. It was so cute haha.

Sorry in advance for all the puppy posts!

XOXO

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