Two months in!

We are continuing to feel more and more comfortable in Des Moines. Nothing too new or exciting going on here, but we’re definitely adjusting and finding our routine. We’ve starting having fun with some of the new people we've met and getting involved in our church. I’m already feeling pretty familiar and comfortable with my job. Not only is it, of course, fantastic working part time, but I’ve been getting to know the kids I’m working with, which makes things a lot easier and more fun. I get to do all kinds of little games and projects with them, which I think is a blast. And these sweet kids struggle with so many things that come easy to most other kids their age, so I find myself determined to help them learn and grow and accomplish their goals. Andy’s been doing a little traveling for work lately, right now he’s in Chicago for a few days, and last week he was fortunate to be able to travel back to Wisconsin. I’m a little jealous he got to spend time with family and friends, and even meet our friends’ new little baby, but we will be back soon enough. We’ve got a week off after Thanksgiving, and I cannot wait to see everyone again!

Yesterday was a big day for us, we woke up early and ran the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure, and then voted. We were happy to get voting done with since we weren’t sure how smooth things would go with needing re-register and all. But we’re so blessed in this country to have a right to a voice and opinion through our vote, so we would happily and eagerly do what it takes to make our vote count. And then probably most exciting for us, we finally got out couch delivered yesterday! I hope it will be a long time before I have to sit on a camping chair again! I know it’s just a couch, not THAT exciting, but when you haven’t sat on a couch in almost 2 months, trust me, it is that exciting. It’s amazing the things you take for granted, huh? We had a fun movie night and got sushi takeout spent the evening relaxing.

Oscar’s been doing great with adjusting to his new home! We have so much fun with him and he is just so funny and sweet and snuggly. He is such an easy dog to have, really does not cause any trouble other than a few minor accidents. He does much better with being left alone, still a little whining, but this has gotten much better and I think he’s realizing that we always do come back.

I’ve been feeling very blessed with this change. It has not been easy, but Andy and I have had much needed downtime together, just the two of us. Life gets crazy, and this has given us a chance to just relax and have fun together and enjoy each others company.

Welcome Oscar!

Seems like a lot happens in a short amount of time lately. We’re still working on settling into our new home and city. I started working at my new job last week. I work for Child Serve, an organization that has programs for children with serious health conditions. The specific program that I work for is a day health program, which is similar to a day-care/after school program except it’s for kids who’s health keep them from participating in regular school or day care. I work in a classroom for middle/high school kids, help them work on their individual goals as well as activities, playing, feeding, just generally taking care of them. They’re such neat kids. I’m still very new and have a lot to learn, but they’re a lot of fun.

We’ve also decided on a church that we plan to attend and get involved in. What we like most is that it was very welcoming and has lots of opportunities to get involved and meet people. They have groups based on "life stages" like the church we attended in Neenah, so we’re thankful for an answer to prayers.

And, we adopted a dog! His name is Oscar, he’s around 2 years old, and he is a rescue dog. The shelter workers thought he was a cocker spaniel/poodle mix, but after looking at pictures and learning about different breeds, we think he seems more like a schnauzer/poodle (or a schnoodle!). However neither breed explains his adorable curly pig tail, so he really is a mix!

He is literally the cuddliest, friendliest dog I have ever met. The minute we sit down, there he is making himself right at home on our laps.  That’s his favorite place to nap as well (he’s napping in my lap as I type this).

(typical....)

(drying off after his bath)

(helping me make the bed)

His second favorite thing besides human contact is anything soft to lie on. I swear he can sense there is a blanket on the ground from a different room and makes a beeline for it. All together he’s just so sweet and has perfected the puppy dog eyes that melt us.

His adoration for human contact and attention definitely has its downside. He was found by animal control as a stray with another friend-dog. They brought them to a pound, then the shelter, then a foster home, then his friend was adopted and moved out, and then he moved in with us. Needless to say he’s had a lot of transitions in just a matter of weeks. He does not let us out of his sight. When we first brought him home he didn’t even want to eat or drink because that would involve not being able to see us for a few seconds. Now he doesn’t have a problem eating, and is slowly doing better when we take a shower or go to the bathroom, although he still follows me around the apartment everywhere I go. He still hates being left alone, and will cry and whine loudly when we leave him to go to work or the store. He also does not really play yet, and does not like treats (though he does like hot dogs). We’re told this should all continue to improve as he gets used to his new home and family, but it will take him awhile to really feel secure and believe that we won’t leave him. He's not one for mischief, no chewing or destroying or really barking at all. He does need work on his house training, but this hasn’t been much of a problem yet, we’ve been able to keep on top of it. He doesn't shed much at all, which is great. When they found him, his hair was so long and matted down that they had to cut him very short. Here's a picture the shelter took before they shaved him, he looks like a totally different dog!

So he’s got some challenges but he is so sweet and just loves to be near us, and it’s so fun to watch him get more and more comfortable and improve each day. We also happen to think he’s just the cutest and gives us hilarious looks and makes us laugh constantly. He’s great company, and we’re so happy to have this new family member of ours!