A very BU wedding

This time last year we were enjoying our big wedding weekend in Boston. It truly was the best day of our lives. A year later and I still have not made a wedding album for ourselves, but a blurb on our wedding was published in the Bostonia, BU's alumni magazine, that we got in the mail yesterday. I thought I would share the blurb so family or people who are actually in the photo but threw out their copy before seeing the photo could have a look.

Summer travels

Rob and I both took some time off of work this month to go away, we just didn't go together. Rob made the 12 hour drive from Atlanta to Detroit to spend the 4th of July weekend with his Dad. Every year around the 4th they have the PFP (Porter Family Picnic) in Michigan, and since Rob didn't get to go last year it was especially nice that he could be there for it this year. I couldn't take the time off, so I held down the fort with Roxanne and enjoyed fireworks with Ann, John, Tom & Linnea.

Last week I took my vacation to HOT and sunny Fort Myers Florida to visit one of my long time best friends Lindsey and her family. Lindsey and her husband Dan had baby Savannah last December. I first met her when she was 2 months old, but boy has she grown in the past 5 months! It was great to catch up and spend lots of beach time with them, as well as Lindsey's mom and sister. In the 4 days I was there we went to 3 different beaches- Fort Myers Beach, Captiva and Lovers Key. When we weren't at the beach we were at the pool, so it was nice to be able to switch it up each day. I may have been spoiled having a house on the Cape all those years, but it just wouldn't have felt right to go a whole summer without seeing the ocean, so I'm glad I got my beach fix.

Next weekend we'll be celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary- how quickly time goes by! Then we gear up for August which will be full of travel and fun. First up, Hayes and Caroline's wedding in Michigan. Hayes was the best man at our wedding and Rob is going to be the best man at their wedding. The following weekend we fly to central PA for Megan and Robbie's wedding. Megan and I have been friends since the 2nd grade, and I am so very happy and excited for her. Plus the wedding is in my old home town and the ceremony will take place in my family's old church, so it will be nice to be back. Finally, at the end of August I get to fly up to Boston for Miss Rachel Stalker's bridal shower/bachelorette weekend! Bring on the friends and good times.

The residents of the Nevadan

Our apartment complex definitely has some interesting characters living in it. For example, the man who lives on the 3rd floor one building over. He has apparently turned his balcony into a barber shop, equipped with an actual barber chair, where he cuts hair. When he isn't cutting someone's hair, he is often on his balcony yelling down to others who pass by, asking them if they want a cut or know someone who does. The whole thing is kind of amusing, except for the clumps of hair that can be found on the ground below where I walk Roxanne. As much as I can't stand the people above me with the bird feeders and the seed falling all over the place, I suppose if I had to choose I'd pick bird seed over hair on my balcony.

The other day I had one of the strangest encounters to date. I was walking Roxanne along the grass near the tennis courts, when a middle aged black guy with a crazy lazy eye and neon shoelaces approached us on his way to his building. The conversation went something like this...

Guy: There's that fluffy dog again! Man I see her everywhere, what kind is she?
Me: Haha, yeah she needs a haircut soon. She's a Goldendoodle.
Guy: Wow, she is beautiful! Just beautiful.
Me: Thank you! Her name is Roxanne. She's a puppy still, so she's full of energy.

(Up until this point the conversation is pretty normal and typical of what people usually say when they see us out walking. Here is where it got weird..)

Guy: Hey, have you ever seen the movie Burn Notice?
Me: No, I haven't. I've heard of it though (and I'm aware that it's a TV show, not a movie).
Guy: Oh you haven't?!? I think it's on TBS or something like that. Anyway, there's this character Michael on the show, and I could see his mom having a dog just like this! Yeah, like someone real cool would have a dog like this.
Me: Oh yeah? (Really I'm thinking HUH??? How did you come up with that? And it's not even like we are trying to figure out whose dog this is or who would own a dog like this...I am the owner! Are you saying I'm not cool?)

Luckily the guy's phone rang right about then and he said he really had to take the call, so he answered and continued on his way. Good thing too, because I really didn't know where to take that conversation next.

I'm not much of a cuddler

There have been many times over the past two years that I have thought to myself, "Yes, my best good night's sleeps are behind me." I am, unfortunately, a very light, very specific sleeper. If I am not laying straight, on my stomach, head turned toward my edge of the bed, with the sheet covering me, I will probably have a hard time falling asleep. I don't toss, I don't turn, and I don't cuddle unless I'm awake. I wish I wasn't such a specific kind of sleeper, but I can't help it.

Rob is a very different kind of sleeper, pretty much the opposite of me. He can fall asleep any time, any place, in any position. He tosses every which way, loses his pillow, talks in his sleep, grinds his teeth and he can sleep through anything (Really, you name it, he can sleep through it...the front door opening or closing, his phone, my phone alarm. How lucky is he and how unlucky am I, especially when babies come along). I have always been amused by people who talk in their sleep and will usually try to carry on a conversation with them if possible, so this doesn't bother me nearly as much as the teeth grinding. Though Rob doesn't remember, I have told him that whenever I hear him doing it in the middle of the night I make a humming sound to block out the horrible noise and give him a little elbow or kick. Rob has no tooth discomfort, but whenever he goes to the dentist I think surely they are going to notice he is grinding his teeth away and recommend a mouth guard...nope, hasn't happened.

Yesterday, I finally went to my first dentist appointment since moving to Atlanta. I had been putting it off and putting it off, but as my on and off tooth pain increased I knew it was time to make the appointment. Rob is a huge fan of the dental office he goes to, so I decided to go to the same place. Besides the dentist confirming what I knew was inevitable- I need a root canal- she also suggested something else. I almost fell off the chair when she said, "Do you notice if you clench or grind your teeth, maybe at night? I am seeing some breakdown and think a mouth guard might help." I wanted to say, "What?! You have got to be kidding me." But instead I said, "Ok, I'll think about it."

Roxanne passed the CGC!

Roxanne has graduated from Petsmart's puppy, intermediate and advanced training classes, but this past weekend she passed the big test. Roxanne is officially a Canine Good Citizen! Pictured above is Roxanne with the rest of the CGC graduates.

I'm going to bet that most of you don't know what Canine Good Citizen program is. Before we started taking Roxanne to trainings at Petsmart, Rob and I had never heard of it either. Here is a summary taken from the AKC's website...

"Started in 1989, the CGC Program is designed to reward dogs who have good manners at home and in the community. The Canine Good Citizen Program is a two-part program that stresses responsible pet ownership for owners and basic good manners for dogs. All dogs who pass the 10-step CGC test may receive a certificate from the American Kennel Club."

When we started out taking Roxanne to puppy classes at Petsmart, we really thought that was as far as we'd go with the training. But we ended up liking the classes and the trainer, and we knew it was good for Roxanne. Before we knew it we had completed all 3 levels of training. Plus, the trainer was very good at his job and convincing owners to register their dog for the next training course. Throughout all of the training classes the trainer continuously mentioned the CGC test and how he hoped all of the dogs would take and pass the test once they completed the advanced class. At first, Rob and I thought he was way too into the dog training thing and no way is Roxanne going to take some test to get a certificate. But after hearing about the test week after week, month after month, we realized that yes Roxanne was going to have to take the damn test and pass with flying colors to prove all of this time and money spent on training wasn't for nothing!

And Roxanne did just that, passed with flying colors at the top of her class. She made me such a proud puppy parent that day! We probably use the "CGC" phrase in our apartment more than is necessary. Saying things like, "Roxanne can you believe you are a CGC?" or "Stop biting your leash, that is not CGC behavior!" She may be a CGC, but she is still a puppy. Last week she destroyed and ingested a rope toy and one of my black Old Navy flip flops. She still hasn't fully recovered from those incidents.

Everyday-->AATW-->Proposal

Two years ago tonight I was at Fenway Park rocking and rolling to DMB, completely happy and totally unaware of what was in store for me after the concert. That night Rob got down on one knee and proposed, the DMB show the following night was 10x more exciting partly because of my newly acquired bling and title of fiance, and for the next year, my life was consumed by wedding talk. And now I can't help but think how much has changed in those two years that seem to have flown by. A new city in a new part of the country, with the best dog we could have and did hope for for the past two years, I've got a new job, Rob's a kick-butt grad student, three marathons later, and my new last name has finally stopped surprising me. I'll always remember and celebrate this date, just as I do February 22nd and will July 31st, because it was the start of something good.

What to do weekdays at 4?

Do you remember back in the days of AOL instant messenger and your individual profile that you would update every week or so? If you are older, maybe you never had AIM and do not remember those days, or if you are still using AIM then maybe you are thinking, "What are you talking about? I just updated my profile today." Either way, it does not matter, because this entry isn't really about AOL instant messenger. But I remember a reoccurring trend in AIM profiles where people would write a list of all of their favorite and most loved things. One thing you could always find on my list, alongside the beach, sour patch kids, DMB shows and dogs, was Oprah. More specifically, the Oprah Winfrey Show.

I remember coming home from school each day, getting a snack from the kitchen and sitting in the recliner to watch Oprah at 4pm. I loved her show and still do. I love her topical interviews with celebrities and people in the news, but more so I love her interviews with everyday people like you and me who have a story to tell. I love the makeover shows, the favorite things shows, the shows that reinvigorate you to get back on track with your efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle, the crazy road trips with Oprah and Gayle, the musical performances, the shows where she makes the dreams come true for deserving people, and those where she sheds light on important topics like racism, abuse, transgender, lifestyles in other countries, addiction and education. I know many people who are not big fans of Oprah, for example- my husband, but none of their opinions or rants have ever phased me. I have grown up with her show, been entertained by it 5 days a week, and have learned from it as well. It has made me laugh, it has made me cry, and for the past few months has taken up precious space on our DVR. When I started working again and realized I was going to be missing many shows from Oprah's final season, I started recording each and every one of them so that I wouldn't miss anything. Tomorrow ends Oprah's long-standing spot on our DVR, because tomorrow is the last Oprah show EVER. I know it sounds silly to some of you, but I don't know how I am going to watch that final show. Part of me wants to save it and save it to make the show feel like it is not really over yet. I know Oprah has her own network now (I am already watching many shows on it) and that she is not going to disappear, but it is not the same. I honestly believe her show is and was one of the best on television, and I do not know if anyone will ever be able to match it.

If I have one regret today it is that I never got to sit in one of the coveted seats in the Oprah show audience. Though if that is my biggest regret, I think I'm doing ok.