Good Morning.

so this morning i woke up and went to take sweet little charlie out to potty because she was whining. as i walked through the living room, i squished between my toes the droppings she decided couldn't possibly wait, and where better than the living room rug?

i then screamed at aaron to get HIS dog and clean up HIS dog's mess. she's always only HIS dog when she's this bad.

needless to say, it was a rough start to the morning.

Charlie J. Update

Here's to Aaron's best friend and favorite companion, Charlie Jenkins. I know most of you are shocked that I didn't say Megan, but this big puppy had almost a whole year of Aaron to herself and she just doesn't know what to do not being the center of his world anymore. When Aaron and I sit on the couch together, 55lb Charlie jumps up right in between us. If she's able to sneak in the bed without us noticing right away--how a massive dog manages to do this is beyond me--she will get as close to Aaron as she possibly can. She's trying so very hard to mark her territory, and she doesn't mind who (me) she steps on along the way.  Our tiny little house can hardly contain her extreme hyperactivity that never seems to settle. Everyone I meet that hears we have a Boxer tells us they are puppies at heart til the day they die. No one, not ONE, mentioned this to me a year ago when I said, "Sure honey, get a puppy. I know you're lonely in Texas." All that being said, we have fun. She keeps us active. I'm putting an invisible fence on my Christmas list this year.

She is cute, I'll give her that.

Her favorite spot to lay in the sunshine.

Her favorite pastime: chewing sticks into a billion tiny pieces in the house. Typically while I'm not home because Aaron can't stand to tell her no or to take any happiness away from her. Foreshadowing children??

She loves to play fetch. ALL THE TIME. We can't keep up with her.

Charlie got hit by a car and had to have surgery on her leg. Aaron was in worse shape than Charlie.

Would not leave her side. Sad because he said it was his fault. Apologized to Charlie all night long.

Heavily medicated Charlie was my favorite week ever. Ok ok, it was sad, but she was so peaceful. Aaron spent the night on the floor beside her. Thank you to Meg and Frank for fixing her up so nicely. She's back to running 6 miles and still ready for more.

Pittsburgh with the Mullaneys

The family I have babysat for for the past 5 years asked me to come to Pittsburgh with them a week after our honeymoon. After declining with the excuse that I didn't want to leave my husband so early after the wedding, they asked us both to come along and entertain two of my favorite boys, Michael and Johnny. It was one of our favorite trips to date. Highlights include: Dave and Busters, Kennywood Theme Park, Pamela's Breakfast (twice), bubble tea, pizza at midnight after we had already eaten dinner, Page's Icecream  where we also discovered how good the cheeseburgers were right after dinner, Crab Legs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Museum of Natural History (among other cool museums), Phipps Conservatory, tour of Carnegie Mellon, Primanti Brothers, and Saris Chocolates--just to name a few. On top of that, we had the best tour guide anyone could ask for! Aaron managed to navigate the streets of downtown Pittsburgh fairly well despite the boys screaming in the back and his copilot (me) questioning our every turn. He was sure kids could wait for a long while after this trip. At one point, he told John that as soon as we got out of the car he would count to 10 before beating the snot out of him =). The Mullaney's are so fun and we kept busy and well occupied/entertained 24/7.

Primanti Brothers' Sandwiches--coleslaw, fries, meat, and cheese.

Johnny was a little apprehensive about the roller coasters in the beginning. And about using a hairbrush. Ever.

This happened 98.9% of everyday. Sometimes drawing blood.

Finally attempting the coaster.

99.2% of the time.

Pittsburgh was such a cool town--lots of history and character. We will definitely take another trip there in the near future, but will definitely not be eating as much. Pretty sure this trip right after the honeymoon contributed to the "Freshman Marriage 15" I feel like I've packed on.

Honeymoon

**wedding photos too large for blog, so we'll skip straight to honeymoon**

The day after our wedding, we left for our All Inclusive resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. It was wonderful to say the least. We were spoiled entirely for 5 days. Aaron spent most of our honeymoon checking out all the different restrooms at the resort. The all you can eat food and drink did a number on those already sensitive Jenkins' bowels. Once it was so bad he had to ask for a new bathrobe. =) Aaron also failed to pack any decent looking clothes because, "Why would I need to wear long pants if I'm going to the beach and it's hot?" I had too many other things on my mind before the wedding to make sure he had packed the right outfits, but as soon as we got to the resort and were told that all dining for dinner was pants and closed-toed shoes only, we went to the Mexican giftshop and paid 175 pesos for a pair of cheap, extremely long, navy blue linen pants. Aaron wore them every night for lack of other options. It also rained quite a bit every day.

I want to go back ASAP.

Hotub on our balcony.

Raining. Aaron's awesome linen pants.

Aaron's favorite spot at the resort.

Lots of Changes!

Life got a little hectic and crazy pre-wedding, then we had an (ongoing, neverending) adjustment phase, and we know feel settled enough to post some life updates. Slowly but surely I'll get pictures and updates posted on life Post-Wedding.

Quick overview-- Monsoon wedding weekend, amazingly relaxing honeymoon, Pittsburgh for a week, house cleaning bonanza, jobless apprehension, week in Dallas, new jobs, and finally settling in to a routine that we know better than to get used to because God is always in control and we cannot fathom what he has planned for tomorrow. Awesomely, His mercies are new every morning and we can face each day when it comes.