NC Trip

So last week we took a spontaneous trip to North Carolina. When my hubs was in the Marines, we were stationed there for 2 years and we became very close with a great group of people. After a deployment everyone got pcs'd and we all went our separate ways. Well it was a good time for everyone as most of them were just home from another deployment, so we decided to meet up and have a little reunion. It felt so weird to be back to where we used to live and so many things have changed. Of course once we moved, all the good restaurants and shops came, but o well. But nice for hubby and I to remember and relive all the good memories we had from living there. We met up with everyone the first night and cooked out on the beach and played some beach volleyball, it was a blast! We did lots of shopping and just caught up with everyone. It was def good to see everyone and how they have grown and we plan on making it a yearly thing to get together.

Dog Room

Yes, my dogs have their own room that's how spoiled they are. In our house there is a room just off the hallway when you come in from the garage. It is kinda separate from the rest of the house and I wasn't really sure what you would do with it. My guess is it was suppose to be a media room of some sorts but there is like a weird half wall in the middle and all the plug ins are halfway up the wall. Kinda weird, but it works perfect for the dogs! We have always crated our dogs when we have left mostly because they LOVE their crate and Marlee loves to get into things. We crate trained them both as puppies and they know it as their safe place. Sometimes I will just find Marlee chilling in there. So even though they have their own room now, we leave the crate with the door open in their for them. They are very well behaved for the most part, so they love having free reign of the room when we are gone. Plus I do not feel as bad leaving them for a few hours now that they have room to play and run around. So here are a few pics of their room, of course it is decorated in all puppy stuff!

Here is an overview of the whole room

We have a canvas of them for every season

I found this adorable sticker here

We had this custom canvas made when we lived in San Diego

Just a bunch of our favorite pics

And of course you have to have puppy treats!

Fireplace Facelift

So my Husband and I both always have loved stone fireplaces. When we moved into the house we went over all the projects we would want to do in the future and giving the fireplace a facelift was one of them. We were shopping at Lowes for another project when we came across a product called Airstone. Its a lightweight stone that you can easily cut and apply yourself. It was exactly what we were looking for to finish the fireplace. So at 7 on a friday night we decided to redo the fireplace. It comes in corner pieces, flat edge, and rigid edge. We only need one box and we went with the flat edges. The best part about it is that it only cost around $50. You have to get the adhesive in addition and we bought a few tools to take down the old tile, so the whole project costs us around $75. You cant beat that. So there we were around 9 on a friday night ripping apart our fireplace. We first debated on leaving the existing tile and just applying the stone to that, but we didn't think it would be a rough enough surface to stick to. So the husband had a good time with the sledge hammer knocking down all the tile. Unfortunately when we took down the tile, the wall behind it started to come off, so we ended up just ripping it all out and starting from scratch. We had a few moments where we got frustrated, but it was all worth it in the long run we are cuddling by our new stone fireplace. We def recommend the product of you are looking to do a budget friendly DIY fireplace facelift. Now a few pics of the whole process...

Before

tile gone

new wall

the finished product!

Graycee loves to lay by the fireplace

Meet the Dogs

Well I figured I would do a "meet the dogs" post because they are our children and will be a big part of the blog. Its funny how much I love my dogs because I never had a dog as a child. My family loved to travel and I am so lucky to have been to so many places, but because of that we never had a dog. My brother and I tried many times talking my mom into letting us get one, but it never happened. So what did I do when I moved out of the house and got married? Got a dog of course. It was def meant to be because one day my husband called me and said a guy he worked with found a dog on the side of a road and needed a home. At this time we just got married and learned we would be moving to California in 3 months so we were going to wait until then, but once we saw her, we just fell in love and the rest was history. I mean how could you say no to this face?

I just dont understand how someone could just leave her on the side of the road. She was so skinny when we first got her and was scared of just about everything. She would see a guy and just pee. She had obviously been mistreated and didn't like guys at all. She warmed up very quickly and fell in love with us just as much as we did with her. She is now a completely different dog. She is super friendly and loves everyone she meets. She has become so protective over my husband, myself, and our other dog. She is just an all around sweet, calm dog that listens amazing. It just warms my heart how much a dog can transform, just by giving them the love they need and deserve. I mean isn't she just gorgeous? We are not sure why she has one blue and one brown eye. We guess she was just born with it and is just a unique one, but thats why we love her. We named her Graycee and she proudly wears her rescued with love collar. I def recommend rescuing a dog, it is the most rewarding thing you can do. She is what inspired my husband and I to volunteer for a Labrador Rescue to help others like her find a furever home.

We were finally adjusted to a family of three when one day we went into a pet shop to buy Graycee more food when we saw this face...

Once again, how could you say no? I always wanted a beagle and when I saw her I just knew it was meant to be. We were not looking to get another dog at all. By this time it was Valentines day and two weeks away from moving to Cali. But when there were 8 people in line to see her, I just knew I had to have her. We weren't sure what exact breed she was but as she grew she is def a beagle/basset mix with maybe some husky because of the blue eyes. We couldn't decided what to name her for awhile but after a few days we decided on Marlee and lets just say she lives up to her name. If you have seen the movie Marley and Me, you will understand. She is the complete opposite in personality from our lab. She keeps us on our toes and entertains us with her crazy personality. So we went from our plan of getting one dog in Cali to having two dogs, one being a puppy, driving cross country from NC to Cali. It was def an adventure, but I wouldn't change it for anything.

Here are a few pics of our little family...

First family pic with Graycee

Then we became a family of four

This is hands down our favorite pic of Marlee because it sums up her personality in one pic...crazy

Marlee's fav thing to do when dad gets home from work is check his boots

You have no idea how difficult it was for new to only post just a few photos of our pups. I have so many favorites but I had to limit myself with just these.... for now.

There is one more dog that has a special place in my heart...

This is Dylan. When we volunteered for the Lab rescue this puppy came in that had 2 broken legs and needed a foster to take care of him while on crate rest. Of course I couldnt say no. So we fostered Dylan and fell in love with him. We couldnt adopt him because we could only have two dogs at the time, so we did the next best thing... my mom adopted him! Of course she gets a dog now that I no longer live at home. But now that we have moved much closer to home I get to see him all the time!