The best Birthday present ever...

Tomorrow I turn 24, and I will be getting the best birthday present ever... At 5PM eastern time, I will officially begin my summer vacation! Right now I'm not exactly sure how long it will last (long story that I will blog soon) but I plan to enjoy it for as long as I can!

I worked harder this semester than I remember ever working before, and it looks like it will definitely be paying off when it comes to my grades this semester! I aced my last three Calculus exams and that felt amazing! I understand now how it's possible for people to love school and learning. When you finish with an incredible grade it makes you think you can take on anything! I'm looking forward to registering for my next set of classes and finally having an official graduation date. Seeing the finish line getting closer and closer is more exciting than I could have ever anticipated.

And, y'all... I will finally be SAFE again!

I am moving June 1st, so May will be full of packing and organizing, and I have to say the drive to and from school and when I have to go in-house for work will be longer, but the pay-off is so worth it. There are definitely a lot of things I am giving up in terms of moving from a house to an "apartment", but the safety of the neighborhood, and the fact that I will be able to walk out the door with the pups for a walk... I cannot wait.

My new place is about 100 sq ft smaller than where we are now, but after a few measurements that is turning out to be a bigger difference than I had anticipated. I am going to defintiely have to downsize when it comes to my office furniture and dining room furniture... And of course I can always get rid of a few clothes.

The backyard is going to be considerably smaller as well, which will definitely be an adjustment for the pups, but we have a dog-park and also about 47 acres of neighborhood to explore and walk whenever we want so I think it will all work out perfectly.

I'm also looking forward to living in a place where all of my fur-children are "official." This involves a LARGE deposit, but with a few extra birthday dollars, a lot of extra work hours and a very good bonus this month at work, I will make it work!

I will also be maxing out my hours at work each week from now until I start classes again. My intention behind that is to keep myself occupied: I wont have class or homework so my hours should be spent doing something, right?

I still plan on blogging as much as I can, and plan on participating in the Blog Everyday in May challenge with Jenni at Story of My Life! I can't wait to make my way through the prompts! I love the release from writing and the work-out it gives my brain! I plan to take a little chunk of time each day to work on the prompts. I am going to try to stay a little bit ahead and have them scheduled so I can make sure I finish!

If you want to join in or just take a look at the prompts you can check them out by clicking on the button below!



  Happy Sunday everyone! Hope you have a wonderful beginning of your week!

Almost there...

I'm about two weeks away from finishing my Spring Semester.. and goodness it has flown by.

I have done more studying and homework this semester than I can remember ever doing and it has paid off, but it has also made the time go by that much faster.

It'sfunny how when you have a new pup you seem to measure time by their growth.

I'm certainly finding that true with LG and let me just say, she is HUGE. She is growing so fast, and I'm so looking forward to my (two week long) summer break so I can spend a little time just indulging in this special time with my pack

And did I mention I'm moving again? Some of you may know that is the story of my life, and this will be the 8th move in 5 years. To say I'm sick of it would be an under-statement and I'm really hoping that the place I (think) I have settled on is hopefully a place I can see myself staying for many years. And, Mr. Paws proimsed to move with me. So we shall see.

But, right now, it's 4:45 in the morning and I'm exhausted. I just finished my second-to-last economics assignment for this course and now that the computer screen is blurry I'm off to bed.

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend, and I promise posts will start to increase in the coming weeks.

Happy Saturday!

Life Lately via Instagram

Happy Monday everyone!

Today I am linking up again with Northern Belle Diaries for the I Love Bloglovin' Linkup! Head on over to her blog and link up your Bloglovin' URL so we can follow you too!

If you are new here, welcome! So happy to have you! Please leave a comment with your blog link so I can share the love with you!

I realized I don't have any posts scheduled for this week, which for this blog is strange. Everything you have seen so far was written a while ago and scheduled to post sproadically throughout the month.  I am a busy girl, and starting a new blog is a time-consuming endeavour, so I had decided before we went live that I would have tons of posts written so I could spend the time they were going live promoting them as well as finding new fun blogs to follow!

On top of realizing that I had nothing ready for this week, this weekend was a little crazy. I have a Calculus exam today and spent most of my weekend studying. I luckily had two days off of work so I was able to study for good chunks of time. I also have an online economics exam I need to take, and am looking forward to Tuesday and Wednesday off so I can get that done.

The point you ask? Well, all of that studying means I had very little time for blogging. I was awarded the Liebster Blog Award by Dani (Thanks girl!) so look forward to my response post about that! Today though, I wanted to give you a quick little peak into life here at the Pawprint household.

If you follow me already on Instagram, you have already seen these photos. But if you don't (which you totally should, you can here) here you go! My life lately, via Instagram photos! Because Instagram "dump" just doesn't sound pretty enough ;).

Here we go!

Work has thankfully been pretty slow lately so I was able to start a new needlepoint project. (Keychains if you can't tell)

 We got a little rain this weekend, and the fur-babies were just not feeling going outside in it.

 

Found out these lovelies invaded my plants.

Broke out a dress and denim for Calculus last week. Was needing a splash of Spring in my life.

 



One night this week I guess I was a little more stressed than normal, and my therapy doggy GS was right there to comfort me. She slept all night like that, with her face on mine. Too sweet. 

 

Have been snacking lately on Bagel Chips and hummus but bagged bagel chips are expensive! So, I make my own instead.

 



LG suddenly seemed really big one day.



Since I cut my hair it has been drying naturally super wavy, and on busy days I won't lie, I take advantage of the shorter styling time.

I love my SodaStream and live off of the Energy flavor. It tastes exactly like Red Bull.

If LG doesn't think she has gotten enough to eat she will bring you her bowl.

Smart pup.

So there you have it! Our life lately via Instagram! Click here to follow if you aren't already, and don't forget to link up with Northern Belle Diaries for I Love Bloglovin!

Have a great week!

 

Spring Break 2013 - Part II

Our first morning at the resort we slept in a little past 10AM, and realized on our first walk the furries that it was going to be a chilly day. We had both been pretty sick with head colds the week before, and decided that our original plan to spend the day kayaking and fishing on the water was probably out, neither of us were exactly interested in catching pneumonia.

So we bundled up, and took the pups on a walk around our loop and then lounged a bit around the camper. Around noon we decided to walk over to the Bike Barn to just check on the rental options for canoes and kayaks and fishing equipment. If nothing else we’d get a little exercise and fresh air.

 

 

On our way we stopped for a quick game of tetherball (let me just say Disney’s poles are entirely too tall for me, let alone for a child to play fairly with a normal sized adult) and also to snap a few pictures. It was fun to laugh and joke with each other, and good to finally really feel like the responsibilities that weigh on our minds every day had been pushed back for the time being at least.

The rental outpost was a little further than it had looked on the map, and when we got there we realized that the prices were just too far out of our budget to do everything we had originally wanted to. We headed back to camp a little disappointed.

About halfway back it finally hit me. I’m on vacation, I don’t need to be entertained or have an activity every moment. We were paying hundreds to stay at our campsite and in our RV, wasn’t that enough?

 

I voiced this aloud and after a few moments MP agreed. I grabbed his hand and smiled when he looked over at me and we walked the rest of the way back a little bit lighter on our feet. On the way we agreed that we would take one final look at the brochures for the activities I had been given when I had checked us in.

 While fishing and boating sounded fun, we really had our hearts set on archery or horseback riding.

We kept coming back in our debates over prices to just doing one activity that was a little more expensive.

We both had spent a lot of time around horses as kids and hadn’t been riding in years, and when I called “just to check” on spots for trail ride reservations, the happy Disney call center agent let me know that they had two spots left for the next day, for the 1PM ride. The phone on speaker, we both smiled and Mr. Paws handed me his debit card and mouthed “Make the reservation!” …  And I did.

The rest of the day flew and night flew by. We took a quick nap in the afternoon, still not feeling 100% over our sicknesses from the last week, and then took the dogs on a dusk walk around our loop.

We also finally went to Walmart around 9PM for a grocery run. We had both been dreading this, me having heard horror stories of the Walmarts close to Disney and Mr. Paws actually remembering how awful this specific one had been during his visit as a child on family vacations.

We were both pleasantly surprised though when we found everything we were looking for the first place we tried, and even though there were a ton of people it really was relatively easy to navigate the wide isles. We also saw Argo for sale, and impulsively grabbed it; we are huge fans of anything Ben Afflek does; our favorite movies as a couple are The Town and Gone Baby Gone. We were in and out of the store in record time, not even having to wait in line to ring out!

When we got in the car to head back to the campsite I looked at MP and said “We don’t even shop that quick when we’re at home!” He laughed and agreed with me and we headed back to our site.

We unloaded the groceries into our full size fridge, and hunkered down under blankets with the pups to watch our new movie.

Argo did not disappoint and around 2AM we finally crawled into bed, exhausted but excited for our last full day.

Mornings with LG

Linking up today with Northern Belle Diaries and Postcards from Rachel for the inaugural I <3 Bloglovin linkup party!

 

Head over to their blogs and link up your Bloglovin URL! It's a great way to find new blogs to follow on Bloglovin!!

*Written when Lyla was 9 weeks old, she will be 13 weeks March 20th*

I have never been a morning person, but lately, my favorite part of the day has become when LG wakes up, between five and seven in the morning, crying from her crate quietly. She's getting more and more patient every day, but she definitely lets me know when it's time to wake up. 

And, I don't mind one little bit. Her kisses are sweet, and o, if I could just bottle up her incredible puppy breath...

Quietly, we will sneak out of bed together, and go outside for her morning potty break. It's usually hazy, windshields are still wet and so is the grass. I usually have grabbed a soda from the fridge, a little pick me up to help me get through the next hour or so, even though I know I won't need it; LG is enough to keep me awake.

She hops around the yard, and I am reminded of not only a tiny animal but also of a few of the 60+ lbs dogs I have known. Her excitement makes me think she likes this time of day just as much as I do.

Then we come inside, she gulps down some water and meanwhile I pour her a little puppy kibble. she sits in frontof her bowl to chow down, and I head to the couch to watch a few minutes of the morning news.

When she finishes her breakfast, she usually bounces over to me, toy in tow, ready to play. She romps around, And even though we picked up and put away all the toys last night before bed, it usually doesn't take LG long to pull them all out and have them strewn across the living room floor. She reminds me so much of S as pup, and it makes me even more excited to watch her grow.

Sometimes we learn new things, other times we just play with different toys. We work on knowing which toy is which: the ball, the rabbit, the ferret... The entire time I am talking to her and praising and giving her love. These are the times that will shape my little pit bull into what I dream of her being one day; the example of the type of pit bull that helps to change negative opinions.

When she starts to settle down, we go outside for another quick bathroom break. She is so quick about that part; as soon as she reaches the grass, she immediately does her business.

Enjoying that it's still just us and there is no reason to fear being trampled by the other, older members of the pack, she skips around the yard. Her energy is back as if it was never gone. She brings me different things she has found; sticks, rocks, pieces of bark and more opportunities for word association.

We play a little more, we might work on fetch or coming when she is called. Once i am sure she is sufficiently worn out, we finally head to the back door and it is time for her to face her largest challenge of all: The steps!

After each of our mornings together, I can tell that not only is she growing too fast, but she is also picking up on everything faster than I ever imagined. I have to keep reminding myself that now is the time to start truly establishing boundaries, while at the same time remembering that everything I say to her and every tone I take with her will affect her personality.

And then, finally, after about an hour of our one-on-one time, we head back to bed to snuggle with the rest of the pack. LG takes her spot on my pillow, head next to mine. I give her kisses and tell her I love her, and we hunker down for a few more hours of sleep.

Yes... Mornings with LG are easily my favorite part of my day.

Changes

I have always been one to think that part of feeling good is also looking good. I'm not saying that I only wear the most expensive clothing that I can find. I'm saying that I like to feel put together.

I used to always do this. There wasn't a day in high school where I didn't wear makeup. Even if I wore sweats, I still had concealer and mascara on.

I have talked about my dark hole before, and I have to admit I didn't adhere to my rule at all.

I didn't wear makeup, I didn't get "dressed", I gained almost 40lbs... I stopped caring about myself.

Part of my New Years Resolution for 2013 though was to change this. I want to get back in shape, take the time to get dressed when I leave the house, I want to wear makeup and do my hair... I want to feel good, not just because I am happy with where I am, but because I feel like I look good too.

I have made a few changes...

I cut 14 inches off of my hair and donated it to Locks of Love. The same day I started the process of going blonde.

 

I have started wearing makeup again and planning my outfits.

 

 

 

 

I accessorize with all of the adorable jewelry items I have collected over the years...

 

 

 

And I take pictures of myself that I actually am proud to share.

 

 

 

I have started to gain my confidence back, and I know this is just the beginning. I'm excited, and I can't wait to share my journey with you all.

 

Learning to love yourself again is hard, but it's so worth it in the end.

 

 

 

Happy Monday everyone! Have a wonderful week!

Welcome, and ways to follow

Just wanted to pop in and say hi and thank you to all of my new followers! So happy you all have decided to read along!

I think by now we have all heard the news that Google Reader is going byebye in July, so I just wanted you all to know that there are a few ways to follow me!

To the left there are links to Instagram, the LLP Facebook Page, my twitter, and you can also always Follow my blog with Bloglovin! Any of the links to the left are a great way to follow along!

Thanks again, and welcome!!