I took this photo of Coco this morning. When I did, I muttered, "I'm feelin' you, buddy." Then, I walked over to the chair, wrapped my arms around him, and planted a kiss right by his nose. He made his cute little growly noise that translates to, "I love you, Mommy."
We received a card accompanied by a handwritten note from a very special lady in our life. She's a beautiful soul who we and our kids absolutely adore. She's an elder who we have a great deal of admiration for. The card and handwritten note meant the world to us for many reasons.
A year ago, right around this time, we began the process of packing up the home we had rented for almost 8 years. A week prior, our realtor gave us a tour of a house that we fell in love with and knew instantly that it would be perfect for our little family. We made an offer in the morning. That evening, the sellers accepted our offer.
It's late. Lisa is at work. Lobo decided to he wanted to chill on my desk with me for a bit. So. That's what happened about an hour ago while I was writing blog columns. Typing with him on my desk is a bit challenging so I took a break and switched to the silly match 3 games I occasionally play.
By this time last year, almost everyone in our life knew that we were buying a house. We closed in early February. Between sharing the news and our closing date, we were bombarded with requests to see our new house. Instead of having people over on multiple occasions, we had a housewarming party in mid-March.
Lisa got a promotion at work last year. When she applied for it, we knew that if she got the promotion, our schedule would change. Our life would change. Week by week. However, Lisa has been with her company for almost 20 years and she's worked hard for this opportunity. Our attitude was, "We will make it work."
Last year, we did not make a single DIY Dog Mom Project item to sell. That had almost everything to do with COVID-19. The rest of it had to do with making an offer on a house, the sellers accepting, and having to pack the home we lived in for almost 8 years.
When Lisa got a promotion at work last year, her hours changed a bit. We also knew that she would be responsible for covering other various shifts. Most having notice. Sporadically, some, not so much. However, Lisa has been in management for most of her life. I've been in management too. We both know what it's like.
One of the most empowering moments of our life together happened a year ago today. It's the day when we toured this house with our realtor and, within an hour, made an offer. Shortly after 8 p.m. that evening, we received a text that our offer was accepted.
Remember my commitment to eating with chopsticks for an entire year in 2021? The same commitment that I adhered to in 2012? Well, it is happening!
A day or so ago, Lisa presented me with some news. Beginning on Monday, she would be working the second shift. For a month. Maybe longer. Maybe indefinitely. Who knows. But, this didn't come as a surprise because when Lisa got a promotion at work back in June, we knew our schedule would change. Week to week. Day by day.
Almost every single day I view posts from parents on my social media streams extending birthday wishes to their human kids. Most of these posts include photos from when they were born until the present day. They're accompanied by lengthy paragraphs about how they can't believe their kids have grown up so quickly.
Serving meals to our kids can be quite interesting. Comical. Changing from day to day. Our girls, Sophie and Willa, will eat all of their meals. Faithfully. In the kitchen. We always make the announcement of, "Are the babies hungry?" Seconds later, we hear the pitter-patter of paws belonging to Sophie and Willa. To the kitchen. Ready to eat.
I was expecting an Amazon delivery today. A single box. When I got the notification that our items were delivered, Lisa went outside to check the mail and grab the box. I was in our home office. On the way to the kitchen, Lisa asked, "Did you order other stuff from Amazon?"
