How To Celebrate 29 Years of Life

On August 10th, I turned 29. One year left before I'm 30! I really don't feel old and I don't have a problem getting old. I think because I've always looked so young, I am always excited to get older. That may sound a little weird and maybe it is, but that's me! Plus, birthdays are awesome. I mean, what other day is all about you. Did I mention that I'm a little selfish? I love celebrating me! :)

So here's what the day had in store for me. I arrive at work to dino puppets and my very own Ambersaurus cake! What makes this cake even more special was that it was the first box cake that Claire Norton has ever made. For those of you that don't know her, she is Heartland's resident baker, sewer, and all things homemade! Not that I wouldn't have loved a made-from-scratch-cake, but the fact that it was something that she doesn't normally do made it special. And on top of all of that, Regan (Claire's husband) helped make it. You guys are awesome!

ambersaurus

We proceeded to lunch at the Tamale Place where I had the best pork tamale I have ever tried. For those of you that have never been there, it's worth a venture to the westside of Indy. Absolutely delicious! Plus you get a ton of food for a decent price. I headed home around normal time and arrived to a beautiful bouquet of crazy daisies and a sweet card from my hubby. What a guy!!

 crazy daisies and card

 vibrant colors

 i just love daisies

I didn't have much time at home before it was time to head off to dinner at Oceanaire. I almost always choose this restaurant for my birthday dinner because I love seafood, how the menu has Happy Birthday Amber at the top, and baked Alaska. If you've never been, make sure you go on a special occasion and tell them when booking the reservation what you are celebrating. It made my day even more special! 

menu--look at how special I am :)

Happy Birthday Celebrating!

--Am

How To Increase Your Furry Family

A little over a year ago, we decided it was time that Daisie get a playmate. I spent much of my downtime searching through petfinder for the most perfect companion. We knew we didn't want a puppy (no time to train it), so we looked for one that was young, but not a pup. We found one that looked like a beagle mix. I really struggled about if she were the one because she hadn't been fixed yet and not sure how Daisie would be with another girl. It must not have been right because we held off too long and someone else snatched her up. I did however find Chunky Monkey ("Chunky").

There were lots of puppy pics up and very few current pics up. I thought he was so cute as a puppy that he had to be cute as an adult. Alex didn't quite think so. He was very hesitant, but I pushed and pushed until he said we could check him out. Chunky was currently with a family that was finding him a little harder to handle than they had hoped. I talked a little with the original foster mom and some with the current family. We found out that he would fit in just fine, so we established a time for him to meet Daisie. I remember it like it was yesterday!

We got lost going out there and were about 15 minutes late to our meeting. Alex was already not happy with me and I was really nervous. When we finally made it, we saw Chunky and knew that it would be perfect. He looked like he belonged. He was super friendly with us, but we wanted Daisie to be happy as well. They both sniffed each other and decided that they could friends. The family asked if we wanted to take him home for the weekend, but we thought we should wait it out. Yeah right! That lasted 15 seconds. We decided we would take him home for the weekend and see how it would go. The Storey's were very generous and gave us everything they had for him (Thank You!). We took him home and he's been a Markov ever since! 

We immediately changed his name to Dodger (he was too thin for a Chunky Monkey). We had to work on some chewing issues and running away, but we eventually got there. He is such a fantastic dog and loverboy. During the day he wants to play and be everyone's friend, but at night, he wants to cuddle and be as close to you as possible. Unlike Daisie who gives big, wet kisses, Dodger gives short, sandpaper kisses. He's such a sweet boy and we couldn't have asked for more. 

dodger hoping he gets a treat

i love my new friend! Dodger (left) and Daisie tuckered out from the cabin

I hope everyone out there has a dog as sweet and fun as ours! Oh and I considered him a rescue because he was going to go back into foster care. Please save a life and not buy!

Happy Rescuing!

--Am