Life Lately November 2024

November always feels like a strange month because the school calendar is so choppy and this year it really flew by because we took road trips for the first three weekends: over the first weekend, we went to Canada for a few days to visit C's parents and Avalanche was very happy to spend time with them; the next weekend, we went to Pittsburgh and met my dad for dinner after a failed attempt to take Avalanche on the funicular; and on the third weekend, we went to New York to celebrate my YaYa's 95th birthday with family and then visit Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. On the fourth weekend, it wasn't exactly a road trip, but we did take Avalanche for his first trip to D.C. to hang out with B2, S2, and our new baby nephew, and then it was Thanksgiving break, which was spent with family. Kind of a whirlwind month!

he loves his grandpa

we had been wanting to take Avalanche
on the funicular, but the line was super long
and all of the people and the noise from
the traffic were just too much for him,
so C waited with him while I
went on the funicular by myself

it was an absolutely beautiful day

I spotted them when I was on
my way back down

the car was very cool

Avalanche met Mr. Rogers

a rare instance where he let me
cover him with a blanket

he loved running around outside
when we visited family in NY

another stunning day

he stayed in his fourth hotel
and he never quite knows what
to make of elevators

if you're wondering where I slept,
it was in the other bed LOL

my car turned 17 years old!

after multiple attempts over the past
almost-two-years to take him to D.C.,
Avalanche finally made it to the monuments

we did a LOT of walking, so he
needed to rest at the Washington Monument

the day before Thanksgiving, he had his annual
vet appointment for a check up and vaccinations 

he was not happy to be there and it turned into
quite an ordeal because he became very difficult
and stubbornly refused to cooperate whatsoever

our vet decided to give him a sedative,
so we brought his blanket in from the car

the whole thing was a team effort by
C, the vet tech, and our beloved Dr. T.
and everything went well, although
he was decidedly out of sorts for a few days!

our niece made Avalanche a
Thanksgiving card

"I woof you!"
soooo precious!!!!!

I love the month of December and I can't wait for Winter Break in a few weeks!

Happy Tails to you!

Life Lately July/August/September/October 2024

It has been quite a while since I've written a "Life Lately" post, which I will attribute to being busy with the start of a new school year. Even though I included it in the title, most of July consisted of our trip to California and Australia, which I've already shared, but I did start back to work at the end of the month. I'm fortunate in that I am housed at the same two schools this year, and I love both of the principals I work with! I am convinced having a great relationship with the principal is critical for this instructional coaching role and I feel so incredibly lucky because these two are amazing!

Aside from work, life has pretty much consisted of hanging out with C and Avalanche, which is obviously my favorite way to spend my time. We took Avalanche to Shenandoah NP, Rehoboth Beach, and NY when our new nephew was born and he enjoyed his third hotel stay, as well as countless walks and car rides! I managed to do a few other fun things, but I seriously don't know how it's already November! What I do know is that I am super excited for Thanksgiving so I can hold my sweet baby nephew again!

he is always so well-behaved whenever
we take him somewhere with
outdoor dining

sassy

dramatic

he looks like he is contemplating
the meaning of life

making his displeasure known

he voluntarily held my hand
and my heart melted
(as I bossed C around to get his phone
to take a pic before Avalanche moved his paw)
LOL

Husky Shedding Season

I was trying to change the sheets after
we had visitors and he was not helpful at all

Me: Avalanche, please get up!
Him: Make me.

then he got on one of the beds with a bone
to really drive home his belief that
he can do whatever he wants

refusing to even acknowledge that
I'm speaking to him

we put up a tent for our niece and nephew to play in
when they visit and he is obsessed with inspecting it
after they leave

fall in NY

in the hotel, he started off on his bed
that we brought from home

then decided to eat his bone up on our bed

then returned to his bed because
it was closest to the air conditioning

he is still not a fan of the beach!

"I love you always"

I draped a blanket on him and you can tell
he really loves it

highly annoyed with me

he's a great companion because he wants
to always be near us, but doesn't demand attention
(even though I wish he would sometimes!)

every day he and C wait for me
at the end of the driveway
when I get home from school and when
I open my door and he sits down for pets

I combed his tail
(soda can for size reference)

best part of my day

he loves hotel life!

made himself right at home

thought C might have to sleep on the
pull-out couch, but Avalanche eventually
got too hot and returned to his dog bed

we spent Halloween evening watching
Frankenweenie because we never
get any trick or treaters

C and I saw Twister (the 1996 movie)
in a very cool 4DX theater

there were fans to simulate wind and the
sound system was pretty impressive as well

water is sprayed throughout the movie
(but you can disable that feature
if you so choose)

the seats were in groups of four
and moved up, down, side-to-side,
and tipped forward and back

our niece made donuts...so sweet!

this was the cake for our nephew's baby shower - 
it was made by one of my dear friends!

our 15-year old nephew Max!

made a point of visiting the
Jon Bon Jovi rest area
on one of our road trips

whenever I see them on a menu,
I get a turtle sundae because they were
my mom's favorite

C got this for obvious reasons LOL

drove out to a park about 30 miles from our house
in hopes of seeing the northern lights!

they were so beautiful!

twinning with my favorite girl in the world

she made us a card

and the message on the back is just about
the cutest thing ever!

my forever team

spent an amazing day with my besties

enjoyed a super fun bachelorette weekend
in PA for one of my best friends...
this was the view from the rental house!

the beautiful bride to be!

I'll end with some pics of Avalanche and his best friend Finn; they spent several days together over the past few months!

this is the huge smile he gives to his favorite babysitter
Hayley...can you tell he absolutely adores her?!?

she made him cookies

and he loved them!!!

Happy Tails to you!