And we're back

Has it really been almost a month since I’ve blogged?  Life’s gotten away from me very quickly - both in a good and bad way.  First things first, we’re back from Michigan and in the new house - eep!  Secondly, my sister is engaged and getting married next summer!

Visiting all the dog parks on the road

In mid-August, we spent almost 40 hours in the truck, driving to Michigan with Bowie to visit Bryan’s family and friends.  On the way up, we drove through Nashville where we stopped over and visited one of Bryan’s friends from high school.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to spend any time in the city, but Bowie ran around the yard with his friend’s Pomeranian puppy and redbone coonhound.  Bryan’s friend took us to a creek by their house and the dogs got muddy swimming in the slow flowing waters.  Turns out mosquitoes, a mess of dogs, and slow living would end up being the theme of our summer vacation.

The Big House

The second driving day, we went through Ann Arbor where I went to one of my favourite stationery shops and we took the obligatory picture in front of the Big House.  All of Bryan’s family members are Michigan fans except for him (Michigan State fan).  We visited the famous Zingerman’s bakery while we were there and picked up three loaves of freshly baked bread to bring home to his parents.  His mom hosted a family reunion picnic the next day with a lot of members of his extended family, including his grandparents.  They were more than happy to show up to see Bryan, who they don’t get to see very often.  Bowie and Coda, his parents’ dog, got along really well, when they weren’t wrestling around on the lawn.  She showed him her favourite hiding spots and how to blind retrieve training dummies.

Small town Michigan, which surprisingly had a boba tea shop??

Family selfie using the selfie stick

For the second half of the trip, we drove across the state to visit his brother and sister-in-law at their new house.  Their home and big red barn sits on three acres between two farm fields.  Bowie met his dog cousin Ruger and they immediately started stealing sticks from each other and running through the long grass together.  The first night there, we had a big bonfire and ended up putting an end to the brush pile they’d been building up as well as some of the old furniture that came with the house that they bought.  Apparently fires are a popular method of trash disposal in the country.  Even though we were country-living at both homes, we never ran out of things to do and most of our time was spent catching up with family.  The dogs probably had the best time of all.  Bowie was wiped out every single night and eager to find his dog friends the next morning.

Backyard Bonfire

Family time!

The Three Amigos - Ruger, Bowie, and Coda

We split the drive back into two days and ended up back in Dallas on a Saturday afternoon.  We went straight to the new house, got the keys from the realtor there, and started immediately hauling things over from the town home, which is luckily only five minutes away.  The movers came on Sunday and we had practically everything moved by the end of the day.  After getting our belongings situated in the house, it became clear very quickly how much more room we have now.  We have an extra bedroom that we’re making the guest bedroom and another spare bedroom that’s completely empty.  A sectional has been ordered for the family room, and Bryan found a great deal on a grill that we’re picking up this weekend.

Post-Op

Protecting the new house

In the middle of all of this, Bowie got neutered which went just about as well as it could have gone.  His stitches and incision have all healed up and the only thing lingering is fear of the vet’s office.  My sister and her boyfriend - now fiance - also got engaged in Bend, Oregon!  They’re planning a wedding for August 2019, and I’m pleased as punch for the both of them.  He proposed using his great grandmother’s engagement ring, which is beautiful and so achingly sentimental.  Wedding planning is becoming one of my sister’s least favourite things to do but unfortunately comes with the territory if you want to have a wedding. 

Sis and fiance

What’s new with y’all?  I feel like it’s been forever and a day.