Puppy Halter Top

Joe and I don't have kids. We have decided not to even entertain the idea of kids until our late 20's early 30's, if then. We don't have any early morning puking or diaper rash but we are dealing with another problem... our dog Burklee.





Burklee Claire is our spoiled puppy. She tries so hard to be a good dog and not get into trouble. Alas, accidents happen, hoses get chewed up and dogs get sick. About 2 months ago Joe was scratching her back and found a few irritated spots on her skin. We took her to the vet and he said that she was having a reaction to her food. Not only did we change her food but she had one cosmetic change as well. Dr. Ronne had to shave the fur on her back. To make it all worse the spots turned to open wounds to scabs to scars. It sounds crazy but she is very self aware about her lack of fur. It's also difficult to take her in public because everyone stares at her spot. Heaven knows what they think we've done to this poor dog.



This last Saturday I just couldn't take it anymore. My parents were down for the weekend and I had my mom help make a little top for her. It took longer than I thought and I had to break the seal on the sewing machine but it turned out very cute. We sewed 1 yard of fabric inside out like a pillow case leaving four holes. We had two pieces come together and meet in the middle of her chest. We just attached them together with some velcro. Then we did two tummy straps so it would stay on when she walks around Petco or the park. I know it sounds like a crazy dog parent thing to say but she is so much more confident without her skin exposed.







Maybe I'll start a business making large dog clothes....Maybe not.

New Truck

I finally got my truck! I've wanted a new truck since the second I sold my last one. We've been looking for a few weeks at all different kinds of trucks. I brought home a few for the wife to look at and got a lot of "that's not sitting in my driveway" looks and conversations. Found this one up in Corvallis. It's a Dodge Ram 1500 short bed. I want to fix a couple things on it but I'm happy with it and Ash is uhh...accepting of it.

We took her out for her first adventure last night. Ash got home from her river vacation around 5:30. I had a need to try the truck out off the main road so I thought we could go make a fire and roast some smores. Burklee refused to be left at home so she got to come too. It wasn't until after dark that we realized that we were up in cougar country and a little golden retriever would be a fine dinner. We kept her close and only smelled burning fur a few times. Hopefully this weekend I can try it out again without Ash covering her eyes and begging me not to role down the mountian. Here are some pictures of the truck and the girls.

Labels or Love?

This blog used to just belong to me, Ashlyn. The title of the blog used to be Labels or love? The ultimate choice for most women. Does a girl choose a man that could let her down? Or labels, always available, always faithful. Well I chose both. I got married, and still follow and choose the labels.

Now, this blog will belong to Joe and I. We will both update the blog with adventures from our crazy home updating, travels and daily life. We have family here and there (mostly there) so this will also serve as our "not having to talk on the phone" blog.

We love pictures. I blame it on my poor memory and his lack of attention to detail in the present. A picture really is worth a thousand words so here are a few pictures to save you all the reading.



Joe and I got married September 5th 2009.



We bought a fixer upper home as a big Christmas gift that same year.



Without bathroom wall or door and all.



...yeah.



We have a golden retriever named Burklee.



She is not so little anymore, but just as cute.

We always have a project we are working on or saving up for. Right now it is the hall bathroom.



We hope to tackle it this summer. Well here on out we are up for fate's "grabs." We will keep things updated and we will see you all around.

Time Gone By

Okay, Okay, it's been months. I fail. I'm sorry. But I have been so busy! I have: planned a wedding, gotten married, moved, and bought a house! DEATH. So I don't really even have any pictures most recently. I know it's a shock a camera hoe like me but it's true.

However! Joey and I had our first married couple home made breakfast a while a ago. Here is what accumulated over THAT event.

We got a new waffle maker for the wedding!...We didn't know to grease it before the first use...



There was also a bacon problem. Whoops! Didn't grease that either. Our bad.



Results from the day. But Dang it the second round of both bacon, and waffles were mmm, mmm good!



Just another day of lovin and learnin.

Saturday Morning

I LOVE Saturday mornings!

Joey usually stays over and sleeps in my guest room and in the not so wee hours of the morning I run in and jump on the bed. He usually complains at first and then will pretend to go back to sleep. But I know his secrets...he can't sleep when he knows I am awake. Even now I am curled up in my bed under the comforter so he can't hear my avid 'click' 'click' on the keyboard. ANYWAY. We usually have some sort of fancy breakfast while rocking out to the sweet sweet sound of 80's classics.

Sometimes after our bellies are full of empty calories and sugar we will watch some cartoons or the occasional home shopping network crew trying to sell us things we don't need. After some digestion we go get ready and typically go our seperate ways for a few hours and get the "need to's" done.

But today....TODAY I have my last dress fitting and a make up appointment! We are almost to the end of all of this wedding goop. I must say I am extatic. I have tried to enjoy it all but only so much pleasure can come from so much pain. :-)

Theme for this mornings breakfast: Africa by Toto

Her Diamonds

I lost my faith in people on December the 2nd 2008. She took a part of me that day,

and I still hate her for it.

I miss knowing that people were good, and that they just do bad things occasionally. Now I think people are neutral. Sometimes they do good things, sometimes they don't. I miss my innocence and my optimisim.

No this isn't an emo cry for help. Writing it down in a semi-private way just helps me

to stop burrying feelings, which has become a habit.

Holdin' On

"There's a Mountain Dew can with lipstick on it rolling around his truck bed. He just leaves it back there as one of the things he has left of her. When he drives into the late day sun he can see a set of footprints. He ain't gonna clean that windshield, he'd rather just live with the hurt."

-Rascal Flatts

Why do we do this to ourselves?

Why do we hold on?

What is it about these people, these experiences, and these things that are so worth clinging to? I have asked myself this question often, probably too often, as it has taken up many hours of my short life. There are these life moments that are gone. They will not come back, but even if they did it would never be the same, or as good as it was in our thoughts. Our minds play this cruel trick on us, most people refer to it as a "mental block." It is silly of us to only see the good. It is silly because most people, not all but most, don't learn from the good things. We learn from the bad. How can we possibly progress when we are constantly bathing in only a dream?

I am an extremely sentimental person. I cry every single time I move to a new place, I change a job, and even when I give or sell something that I bought and doesn't work. I save old text messages from when friends were nearby because it makes me feel like they are near. I have a T-shirt from an old boyfriend that I still have under my bed. I don't sleep in it anymore, I don't smell it to see if the smell of his skin still lingers on its threads. He isn't a part of my life anymore. However he did play a leading role. I wonder if that's why we hold on....

...Maybe we don't hang on to be happy...

...Maybe we hang on because we are too scared to let go...

...What is worse than falling?