He tried to quit smoking again...

Remember Florida? 4 days of hell thanks to him "trying" to quit? Yeah he's doing it again. Been a total bear for 3 days and today he buys a pack and gives up after absolutely torturing me.

I'm going to sneak patches on him while he's sleeping I think.

Bad Morning...

The husband woke up around 5am to go to the bathroom.

He didn't wake me up BUT he woke Max up. Now Max is whining to go out. I ignore him.

At 5:30 I can't ignore anymore and get up to take him outside. He is out there for 10 minutes and I think he's done his business so I let him back in.

I realize he had an accident in his crate so I'm cleaning that up when he disappears into my office. I run to him to find him taking a dump on the floor. I yell NOOOO and pick him up and carry him outside to the kennel where I leave him.

Back inside to clean up the deposit in my office and to finish cleaning the crate. (All before 6am)

Look outside to find Max sitting on the deck looking in the window. The little shit got out of the kennel somehow.

I'm perplexed - he can't go underneath in any spot (concrete pavers) so how did he get out? I find a spot where the wire is separated just enough for a 24 pound dog to wiggle through.

He's back inside in his now clean crate and I need to find some wire to go fix the kennel before I take a shower and go to work. What a start to my day.

Oh and the husband who woke up at 5am to use the bathroom that started this chain of events? Yeah he's sleeping soundly. Lucky bum.

I really wish I could go back to bed and just start over.

So what do you do....

When you are semi-depressed and tired of being stuck at home because you don't have time to go anywhere good and even if you do take an overnight you will have to pay hundreds of dollars and find someone to take care of your dogs?

Well we found a way to weekend for much less money (eventually - obviously start up costs are steep on this endeavour) and take the dogs with us. We bought a small camper. We started out looking at pop-ups but really they were too much like tent camping to me - sure off the ground but lots of tent to be cold and damp and wet if it was raining. Then we saw this:

And we wondered - can our truck pull this beauty? So we asked and as it turns out yes, yes it can! We looked at several models - some with slide outs that gave a bit of floor room but that were several feet shorter overall, we decided on the 24' with no slide out and can't wait to hit the road on June 3rd for our first camping trip.

This is the view from the entrance looking toward the front of the trailer.

This is standing by the bed and looking toward the entrance.

It is perfect for 2 people and has plenty of floor sleeping room for 2 big dogs. We can't wait to hit the road with it and give it a try.

Random Ramblings...

So finally got around to getting a quote from USAA and they will save us $500 annually - WOW. Guess I better make the switch soon. I hate to ditch my State Farm Agent who has been so great but seriously that is a lot of money to waste. I know it will be even more once I switch my homeowners too which I definitely will do.

Just more things that I have to take care of when I'm already stretched thin, but onward and upward.

Oh and speaking of stretched thin - I do wish that was the truth physically, if the result of all this stress was me looking thin I'd be happier I think. Instead it actually makes me fatter as I just can't think about dieting right now it might send me off the deep end.

I should be working already and I have been a bit but mostly I'm procrastinating. That has to stop. Must be on the road and selling in 40 minutes.

I applied for a job that I really want. Close to home, great salary, state benefits, retirement plan, etc. If I get it the husband has agreed we can stay here in NY indefinitely and build our new home much closer to the VA Hospital but still within an hour of my family. That is huge. The deadline for applications was Monday - so hoping I get a call or an email to schedule an interview before the week is out. I really, really, really want this job. It uses my experience and my education, I would be perfect for it really. If I don't get an interview I will think this process was rigged. So for now I'm gearing myself up to WOW when I get the interview.

I got my pool opened - now if only the water was warmer than 60 degrees and it would stop raining non-stop. Hoping to swim by memorial day - PRAYING really. :)

And that is the end of my rambling this AM - no more procrastinating - time to hit the road.

Lead me...

Show me you're willing to fight,

that I'm still the love of your life...

I know we call this our home

But I still feel alone.

If only...

This song makes me sad - I am tired of having to be the strong one and yet that will never change for me. NEVER! :(

My new love...

It's a boy, 11 weeks old, 25 lbs. Cute as can be. He needs a name, so far some contenders are Jackson, Tristan, Indiana (as in Jones), Luke, and we are looking for more suggestions - so far nothing really fits him. Naming Xavier took us 5 minutes and we both loved it and agreed, but this pup is not so easy. Many have suggested Max, it could be an option too.

p.s. we decided on Max and he already comes to this - he is a great pup. I <3 him so much.