Fun and Games

It's amazing to me what a difference a dog can make in someones life. Before Alex and I lived together, I spent countless dollars on doggie day care so that Darcy could have the love and attention she deserved while Alex and I traveled and spent time together. Since Alex got up for work so much earlier than I did, sleeping at my apartment wasn't always the choice. While Alex's building did allow dogs, he wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of a little one jumping on his nice white couches and risking the chance of " an accident." I understood, of course, but longed for the days that we wouldn't have to worry about these types of things or spend money to make everyone's life easier!

Well, once Alex moved in, the majority of our problems were solved. We no longer had to worry about doggie proofing an apartment because mine was already done and doggie day care seems like something in the past as I haven't had to check Darcy in for the longest time...

What I didn't expect to happen, was for Darcy and Alex to bond so quickly. I know how much I loved her, but it was such a shock to see that they were building such a close relationship.....She literally goes nuts when she hears him down the hall coming home, she barks constantly until he gives her attention and genuinely listens to his commands...(I am clearly not the pack leader- Cesar Milan would not be pleased with me) Every night she positions herself under the covers between the two of us and every morning she is the first one there to lick his face and say good morning. One thing Alex will attest to is that he loves it when she licks his toes...I know its gross, but you probably like it too.

A special treat that Darcy gets from Alex is a thing we like to call "Fun and Games" or "F&G" for short. This is when Alex plays with Darcy for a good 10-15 minutes and pretends he is on the football team as a quarterback getting ready for a hike or as a wrestler giving a "donnybrook". Sometimes he holds her up in the air sometimes he pins her and sometimes he just chases her around the room. Darcy usually runs into her house and then always comes back for more. She just loves it. Its so entertaining to watch that it brings the biggest smile to my face.  My two favs...hanging and havin some good clean fun. Yesterday morning, he was sitting on the couch after our morning run and wanted to make sure Darcy had done her stretches for the day as well...This is just one of those funny positions he puts her in while playing "Fun and Games"...it was so cute that I had to take some action shots.

Weight loss challenge

Since our return from Florida, Alex and I have decided to do a mini Biggest Loser Style weight challenge...We are limiting our calories, exercising and weighing ourselves together. Probably one of the most vulnerable times in my life was when Alex and I weighed ourselves in front of each other. Naked. Yikes!
Usually, I would wait for the bloat to go down, weigh myself in the AM and then talk about how much I weigh. Not in this case....I felt like all of America was watching even though it was just the two of us...and Darcy.
He made it sounds so easy..."full disclosure baby- we live together now"
After that, I knew that my vulnerable state was in his safe hands....
Our diet has proven to go over well so far...
Week 1 Alex lost 8 lbs and I lost 6 lbs.
Week 2 Alex lost 3 lbs and I lost 2 lbs..
Week 3 weigh in is coming up on Saturday...I've turned up the notch on the exercise so I'm hoping for a big number this week!!!

I'm in love

I know it sounds crazy, because I've been in love. But today, I just want to shout it from the rooftops!!!
I'M IN LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Meeting the man that you are going to spend the rest of your life with is great. But meeting your partner and your best friend is even better. Our living situation has blossomed into something so wonderful. And while I had to go through the banana peels stage, I'm so glad we stuck it out to make it to the other side.
This morning, while getting ready for work, I had a revelation that my "roommate", is now my partner, my teammate, my best friend and my biggest supporter.
I don't know how to explain it any other way.
Nothing special happened- just lovely, ordinary life.
Please help me remember this moment as much as possible. It's a wonderful feeling and one that I wish for everyone.

Winter Vacation

From Maryland, we headed south for our Winter Vacation. Our first stop on the list was Charleston, SC. I had never been to Charleston and Alex kept raving about it! We stayed at a lovely hotel and my sweetie took me out for a great birthday dinner to celebrate those 36 years of life!...Here are some shots of us at dinner....

I'm also thinking this will be good for our Christmas card next year...Perfect isn't it?







From there, we headed to St. Augustine. Alex and I both agreed that this is the first and last time we will spend time there. Alex thought I wouldn't be ok for the entire drive down to Florida so he planned a pit stop for me....needless to say, I got all A's for the week when we were driving. Yay me!!
Our next stop was Ft. Lauderdale. The Atlantic Hotel to be exact! It was lovely and when you walked in there was the lovely scent of pink grapefruit that I'm dying to have...I want my house to smell like the Atlantic as well!
We had a beautiful suite and spent the next few days on the beach and in the pool enjoying our 75-80 degree weather! Relaxing and vacation life is the way to go....If I could spend my days vacationing, I think I'd be a very happy person...

Our New Years Eve plans didn't pan out the way that we wanted, so instead, we made the best of it and had lunch at a gorgeous restaurant with an outside deck called Pelican Landing. Ironically, our waitress worked for the W Hotels in NYC and had just moved to Florida with her boyfriend! It's such a small world. Once the sun went down, we headed home to our abode, got a bottle of champagne and toasted the night away on our balcony. Truth be told, we didn't make it until the new year....Alex woke up twice from a deep sleep wondering if we had made it yet. It was like a kid waiting for Christmas morning...my response was simply, "not yet, go back to sleep."
With only one more day in Florida we spent time enjoying the weather and each others company.
From there, we headed to Savannah, GA. What a great place to visit! Besides basking in the sun, this was my favorite spot. We stayed at a gorgeous hotel called The Mansion on Forsythe Park...you can check it out here: http://www.mansiononforsythpark.com/

Apparently, the restaurant portion was first a funeral home, then a mansion, then was eventually converted to a restaurant and bar. Crazy how history works out isn't it? Slightly creepy too if you think about it! We enjoyed a few drinks at the bar upstairs and then walked around the restaurant to look at all of the great interior and exterior design. If I had a mansion, I would want it to be decorated just like this. Any of you who know me, know that animal print is highly regarded on my list....meow!


Our trip ended the next day with a long drive back to NYC. We finally made it home and while we were happy to be there, we miss Florida, Georgia and South Carolina dearly!

Vacations make people better! I encourage you to take one right now!