Eight ways Dogs are like Children

  Now before I get some angry responses from parents being offended that I compared their precious bundles of joy to animals or their parenthood to owning pets, I just want to make a disclaimer that this is meant to be a light hearted post.  I know that my dogs are in no way children and that I am not a parent because of having dogs, but I do see similarities between experiences I have with my dogs and experiences that friend's and family have with with their children.  That being said, here is my list.  I hope all those who have pets, and children, can relate to this blog post.

1. House training a puppy is not fun

  When we adopted Sophie we were so caught up with how cute of a puppy she was that we forgot about the whole house training thing.  We would take her outside and walk her around to encourage her to relieve herself.  All she would do is sniff around and bark at things.  After giving up we would bring her inside and within five minutes she would be squatting on the carpet.  She eventually caught on that when she would potty outside she would get a treat.  Then one day we noticed she had gone a whole week without an accident!  We were practically high fiving each other with a sense of accomplishment.  She has had an accident here and there, but for the most part she is really good at holding it in.

2. They get really excited to see us when we get home from work

  One fun thing about having dogs is how ecstatic they get when we come home.  It's a good feeling being loved, and dogs give plenty of it.  Sophie likes to jump up on us and "hug" us.  Keif will then run over with a wagging tail and high shrills of excitement.  The longer we are away, the more they are happy to see us.  Ever see those youtube videos of military people coming home and seeing their dogs after being gone for a long time? It's a pretty similar reaction our dogs get when we come home from being on vacation.  Which brings me to my next topic.

3. Pet sitters/ Boarding

  Going on vacation can be tricky when you have dogs.  Although this part of having a dog differs slightly from having children, finding a pet sitter can bring about the same concerns as those who are looking for baby sitters for their children.  Can this person be trusted with your precious children/ pets?  Will your children/ pets get along with the sitter?  Can the sitter handle your children/ pets without running the other way screaming?  In the past we would just board our dogs at Petsmart.  We figured they had each other so it shouldn't be too bad.  When we were in California my parents and my sister were nice enough to watch Keif and take him out for runs.  We are lucky enough here that I have a coworker, who our dogs love, who can watch our dogs when we need him to.  

4.Missing them when you are away from them

  It doesn't matter how long we are gone, could be running errands, out on a day trip or a week long vacation, one of us will make the comment "I miss the dogs".  That phrase is usually said within minutes of being gone from them.  When we see other people with dogs we miss them, when we are relaxing without them we miss them. I hear that parents go through the same withdrawals when their children aren't with them. 

5. They follow you everywhere

  It doesn't matter where I am at in the apartment, my dogs will follow me there.  After I shower I'll get out to find them squeezed into my tiny bathroom taking up the entire floor space.  Using the restroom, they'll be at the door.  We typically keep the dogs out of our room when we sleep, but when we get up in the morning they are right at the door waiting for us.  It's sweet that they want to be around us, it just gets a little inconvenient at times like when I'm cooking dinner and Sophie decides to hang out in the kitchen with me, making it hard to maneuver around.

6. There's no such thing as sleeping in

  Just this morning the dogs were laying next to the bed, ready for when I decided to get up.  Every move I made would stir the dogs, eager to see if I was awake.  At one point Sophie had jumped on the bed and licked my face.  The luxury of being to sleep in is non existent at our home when you have two dogs who have been holding in their pee all night.

7. Over sharing them on social media

  Now parents, let's not pretend that you share pretty much every little thing about your children.  Well us pet parents are guilty of doing the same.  I've shared a few meme's of our dogs as well as plenty of stories and pictures of them being silly.  Such that parents like to show off their children, I like to do the same with my pups.  They make me laugh with their silly mannerisms and playful attitudes and therefore I will probably continue to share it all on Facebook and Instagram.

8. The Reciprocating, Unconditional Love

  When we adopted Keif, he was instantly attached to us.  We felt as if we had always had him.  When we weren't home he would try looking for us.  At least that's what we told ourselves.  There is no feeling like looking at your dog while they wildly wag their tail just from you acknowledging him.  The way they come running at you in excitement when you call them over.  And who can really stay mad at their beloved dog when they do something bad?  Dogs and kids are so easy to love, when they are yours, and they seem so willing to love you back.  It's a wonderful feeling and a great perk when you have a dog.

Daniel's Birthday Extravaganza: Our Trip to New York City

  Our trips to New York City seem to have become a birthday tradition.  The first trip we ever took there was the week of my birthday, then this last trip was during the week of Daniel's birthday.  For this trip we decided to drive instead of take the train like last time.  We had found that the drive was a cool ten hours.  Since we have made many ten hour drives in the past, mainly from Utah to California, we decided to go for it and make the drive.  However during this trip it was very apparent to both of us that we aren't as young as we once were and that driving for ten hours straight sucks.  It's safe to say we probably will take the train or fly the next time we decide to make that trip again.  Although I did enjoy driving in Manhattan and Brooklyn.  As crazy as the traffic was I enjoyed the aggressive drivers in the area who helped to move the traffic along.

  We stayed with Daniel's brother Dustin and his family in Brooklyn like we did the last trip.  This time though we got to meet Daniel's new nephew, Colin.  He was born in January and we were finally able to make a trip up to meet him.  Let's just say that Colin is one of the most easy going kids we have ever been around.  He is only nine months old, but he seems to have it all figured out.  He would only get fussy when he was hungry or needed a diaper change.  Other than that he was a pretty happy baby.  He was so easy to be around it made Daniel want to have kids.  Good to know that someday when we have a family Daniel will be somewhat prepared.

  Being like most people in New York City, Dustin and his family rely on public transportation.  We road the subway and bus when we weren't walking.  Daniel's niece, Fiona and little Colin are pros at riding public transportation.  I loved how even though Colin was in his stroller he would still make an effort to hold onto the pole on the subway.  Fiona pretty much knows which trains to get on and the rockiness of the trains and buses didn't seem to bother either one of them.  They are both very bright kids who have caught on to social cues of riding public transportation.

  Our first day there was probably our favorite because we got to bond with Colin while Dustin went to a career fair for a few hours.  We took him to central park, gave him a bottle, and toured the MET.  People were complimenting how cute Colin was, and he is a pretty cute little man.  I had to laugh when Daniel asked me if I knew when to feed Colin and when to change him,  My response was when he started to cry he would probably need one or the other.  Although I do get a fail for having him sit in a wet diaper for a while.  It donned on me at the MET that he hadn't been changed since the morning and here it was four in the afternoon, so yeah, we get a bad babysitting award for that one.  While heading back to meet up with Dustin's wife, Susan, and daughter, Fiona, we rode in on the East River Ferry.  While riding Daniel pulled out his phone to take pictures of our beautiful views of the city when all of sudden his Metro card flew out of his pocket and into the river.  It would not have been so bad except for Daniel had just bought a seven day pass for $30 and had only used it twice on the subway.  Poor guy felt so bad, but I told him just to think of it as a donation to the New York public transportation system.

  We were able to meet up with my cousin Lydia who is a nanny for a family in Manhattan.  She took us to a wonderful spot by the Brooklyn bridge that had an amazing view of New York City at night.  We enjoyed pizza, New York style of course, and visited with each other for an hour or so.  It was such a relaxing end to a day full of walking and sight seeing.

  We had such a blast vacationing in New York City and visiting with Dustin, Susan, Fiona, and Colin.  I wish we could have spent more time with Susan and Fiona.  Maybe next we visit we'll come in on a Friday evening so we can spend the weekend with everyone.  Of course I'm pretty sure they owe us a visit to Charlotte.

  Here are a few pictures to sum up our vacation.  Enjoy!

The Museum of Natural History.

Freedom Tower

This was an Irish monument.  It was covered in green grass and lots of shrubbery.
 Just what I pictured Ireland to look like.

Manhattan Temple

Whip Cream mustache from yummy hot chocolate

Gyros from a food truck.

Clock with our name on it

On the steps in front of the MET.

Uncle and Nephew time

Colin has great model potential

View from the East River Ferry.

Flushing, the Chinatown of Brooklyn.

Our tour guides.

Snowpocalypse: Snow days in the South

Two weeks ago we had our first snowfall of the year and the winter season.  In Southern fashion here in Charlotte, North Carolina, people reacted like they normally do.  Everyone rushes to the grocery store in order to stock up for the "big storm".  Schools get out early or cancelled and even a lot of jobs have snow days.  The last snow day two weeks ago was pretty light.  I had work off as did Daniel, but we were still able to stick to our routine of going to the gym and running errands.  The snow didn't stick so there was no danger in driving.  Charlotte did not get hit as bad as Atlanta and so I brushed it off as the usual overreaction of the residents around here.  Two days later all the snow was gone and it was if it had never happened.

This second time around the snow has proven to be more troublesome.  Once again Daniel was called off of work as was I.  My work had actually closed for the day due to the snow and may possibly be closed tomorrow.  The YMCA that Daniel and I work out had closed for the day.  We spent the day in our apartment, mostly watching TV, only venturing out when the dogs needed bathroom breaks.  Looking outside at the snow I would have guessed we were living in Utah again, minus the view of the mountains.  There is so much snow.  No wonder businesses were closed for the day.

I don't blame people for not wanting to drive in the snow.  The city is not really equipped with the necessary items to make the roads safe to drive in .  Although there are many transplants from up north living  in Charlotte, I'd say most of the residents here have little if no experience of driving in the snow.  We lived in Utah for a few years and I still don't feel all that confident driving in the snow.

After living in the snow in Utah though it is pretty comical to see a whole city shut down due to snow.  I never had snow days in Utah.  In fact, at Chili's, we were busiest when it snowed.  I had my share of sliding in the snow while driving and getting stuck going up hills.  But roads were getting plowed constantly and when it snows for four to five months out of the year it's unrealistic to shut down a city.  The snow here in Charlotte will be gone in a few days and I'm sure things will go back to as they were before "snowpocalypse" had hit.  At least I hope so soon, because Valentine's day is on Friday and that is one of the busiest days when you work in a restaurant.  And after having a couple extra days of work off we could use that extra money.