New Move, New Blog

There is no longer a blog dedicated to the laziest golden retriever's struggle with her slow metabolism. I've come to terms with her weight, and am no longer forcing her on the scale once a week. Life's too short (especially for an overweight dog) to worry about jiggly bits.

I'm very fortunate to have a wonderful group of friends and family who actually care about what's going on in my life. Partly, because I've moved across the country, and partly because I'm loved for which I'm grateful. So here's the latest...

Most of you know, my husband, Brian and I moved from Birmingham to New London, NH at the beginning of July. The 2 day trip included 5 animals, 3 parents, 1 friend, 2 cars, and 2 moving trucks. The trek was memorable to say the least. We drove from Birmingham to West Virginia the first day, and all 5 vehicles pulled in at different times. Both my father and I are extremely impatient, and therefore always in a hurry which explains whey we pulled up to the hotel first. We had to sneak 2 of the 3 cats in the hotel because we only paid for one pet, and because we're cheap. The last car arrived about 11:30 that night, and we ended the day sitting in the Holiday Inn parking lot in West Virginia with cheap beer and my very good wine (thanks to my dad who was asleep in his room, and not at all happy when he woke up the next day to find his stash of Sonoma Cutrer gone. We all awoke to find one of the moving vans graffitied. Our friend, Park, who we also like to call MacGyver, was able to remove the spray painted design.

During all of this, I ran to the nearest gas station to fill-up. I put the pump on automatic, which I always do, and ran inside to grab a Redbull. I was about to pay for the much needed caffeine when a woman started screaming and pointing outside. I turned to see gas gushing out of the pump which was attached to my car. While I went to find a car wash, Brian came to the station to get a refund on the gas I paid for, but clearly wouldn't be using since it now covered the pavement. He later told me he thought I was just being dramatic when I called, but realized I wasn't when he pulled up to the station to find warning cones and an entire cleaning crew moping up my mess. This all happened before 7:30 am.

We made it to New London that night after only a few more incidents (Brian left my credit card at a shady gas station in Pennsylvania), we were tired, hungry, but were greeted by my fabulous neighbors and friends. It felt great to be back.

I love it here. Our house is wonderful, and the 9 acres even better. We sit on our deck every night enjoying the view, and relishing the quiet. We both miss our friends and family in Birmingham, but are truly happy here. New London is a small, New England town. There a grocery store, pharmacy, post office, hair salon, a few good restaurants and a handful of cute boutiques and stores. The closest mall is about an hour away. This makes Brian very happy. It truly is simple living, and I couldn't be happier (not going to lie, wish the mall was a little closer).

There is one thing that has dampened our life. Our cat, Roxy, disappeared on August 12th. We suspect something got her since we live amongst an array of wildlife. I cried for 3 days straight, but am doing better. Brian dealt with it a little differently. He woke up one morning and put on his hunting clothes, got his gun, and announced he was going to find the bear that got Roxy. He came home an hour later with no bear, but maybe a little bit of peace. Roxy was family to us, and we miss her very much.

The other animals are doing great. Bella's still Bella, but is enjoying the outdoors more. She plays with our neighbor's lithe Golden, Sammy. Bella doesn't seem bothered that Sammy runs circles (literally) around her, but that's why we love her.

Our neighborhood is the same as when we left here 3 years ago. It's like family. What we have here is unique. We all gather at the deck built in the middle of our street for cocktails and conversation. I go to Jon and Fran's every morning for breakfast. Jon makes me scrambled eggs, and the eggs comes from our other neighbor's chickens which roam around the neighborhood. Like I said, life is perfect. We all recently were in our town's annual parade- the theme was "Fitness is Fun" which explains why we're all decked out in sports gear. Our neighbors are like our family, and we're thankful for them.

I miss everyone so much. Our old neighbors, old friends, family and my accounts I called on for 2 years which are now my friends. I'll continue to keep you updated on my life, and please do the same for me!